Minutes of Iowa Yearly Meeting Of Friends (Conservative)
2019
142ND Annual Session Held at Scattergood Friends School and Farm, near West Branch, Iowa Seventh Month 23 –28, 2019
Published 2020 by the Publications Committee of Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) Printed and bound using acid-free, recycled paper by Goodfellow Press, Iowa City, Iowa.
Available in PDF format at www.iymc.org
For additional printed copes or for more information contact: Deborah Dakin, clerk Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) 206 2nd Avenue N.W. Mt. Vernon, IA 52314 (319)895-8133 [email protected]
Table of Contents
Fourth Day – Wednesday ...... 1 Midyear Meeting Report ...... 2 AFSC Corporation Report ...... 4 Document Committee - Epistles from other Yearly Meetings ...... 5 Netherlands Yearly Meeting ...... 5 Aotearoa New Zealand Yearly Meeting ...... 6 Baltimore Yearly Meeting ...... 6 Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) ...... 7 A Christian Call from Ohio YM (Conservative) ...... 9 North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) ...... 10 Fifth Day – Thursday a.m...... 13 Friends World Committee for Consultation Report ...... 15 Publication Committee Report ...... 16 Website Committee Report ...... 17 2018 Entertainment Committee Report ...... 17 Archives Committee Report ...... 18 Special Needs Committee Report ...... 19 Queries and Selected Responses ...... 19 Query 1 – Meeting for Worship ...... 20 Query 2 – Outreach ...... 21 Query 3 – Meeting for Business ...... 22 Query 4 – Harmony within the Meeting ...... 23 Query 5 – Mutual Care ...... 25 Query 6 – Education ...... 26 Query 7 – Home and Family ...... 27 Query 8 – Personal Responsibility ...... 28 Query 9 – Civic Responsibility ...... 29 Query 10 – Environmental Responsibility ...... 31 Query 11 – Social and Economic Justice ...... 32 Query 12 – Peace and Nonviolence ...... 33 Sixth Day – Friday a.m...... 35 Scattergood Head of School Report ...... 36 Scattergood Farm Report ...... 41 Sixth Day – Friday p.m...... 43 Yearly Meeting Trustees’ Report ...... 44 Scattergood Friends School Foundation Trustees Report ...... 44 School Committee Report ...... 45 Audit Committee Report ...... 49 Friends Peace Teams Advisory Council Report ...... 51 Peace and Social Concerns Report, part one ...... 53
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Chuck Day/Star Pac Minute ...... 53 Seventh Day – Saturday a.m...... 54 Junior Yearly Meeting Epistle ...... 55 Young Friends Epistle ...... 56 Young Friends Giving Voice ...... 57 Peace and Social Concerns, part two ...... 58 Death Penalty Minute ...... 58 Peace and Social Concerns Report ...... 59 Peace and Social Concerns Budget ...... 63 Ministry and Counsel Report ...... 64 State of the Meeting Reports ...... 65 Bear Creek ...... 66 Laughing Waters Preparative Meeting ...... 67 Decorah Friends ...... 67 Des Moines Valley Friends ...... 68 Iowa City ...... 69 Lincoln Friends ...... 70 Omaha Friends ...... 71 Paullina Friends ...... 71 Sioux Falls Area Friends Worship Group ...... 72 Penn Valley ...... 72 West Branch ...... 74 Yahara Friends Worship Group Report ...... 75 Whittier ...... 75 Seventh Day – Saturday p.m...... 76 Recorder Report ...... 76 Representatives Committee Report ...... 78 Budget Report ...... 80 Epistle to Friends Everywhere ...... 83 Epistle to Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) ...... 87 Epistle to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) ...... 87 Special Replies Committee – Letter to Absent Friends ...... 87 Nominating Committee Report ...... 91 Closing Minute ...... 94 Reports Received but not Read ...... 96 Quaker Earthcare Witness Report ...... 96 Religious Education Report ...... 97 Exercise Committee Report ...... 98 AFSC Letter to Friends in the Midwest ...... 99 Guidelines for Request for Reimbursement from IYM(C) ...... 103 Directory ...... 105
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) Minutes of 142nd Annual Session Held Seventh Month 23rd to 28th, 2019 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fourth Day – Wednesday - 07/24/2019 At the 142nd annual session of Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative held at Scattergood Friends School, near West Branch, Iowa from 07/23 to 28, 2019.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked “What is written in the Law How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus said to him, “you have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” And Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise came a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37
We are glad to have the presence of these visitors: Eleanor Hinshaw Muldendore from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, and John Krieg, Des Moines, representing the AFSC Midwest Region. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 1
Monthly Meeting Appointments of Caretakers to Yearly Meeting Ames - David Hansen Bear Creek – Bob Winchell Decorah – Martha Davis Des Moines Valley – Ann Robinson Iowa City – John Andrews Lincoln – Marge Schlitt Omaha – Marshall Massey Paullina – none appointed Penn Valley –none appointed West Branch – Harold Page-Jamison; Larry Marsh, alternate Whittier – none appointed
There are eight caretakers present this morning. Others may be attending later sessions.
Readers for this morning’s business sessions are Ann Robinson and Martha Davis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are grateful for the generosity of Bear Creek and Des Moines Valley Friends in creating our midyear gathering that feeds us both physically and spiritually. We are also thankful for the financial generosity of those who help make this possible.
Midyear Meeting Report Bear Creek Meeting, with the assistance of Des Moines Valley, hosted Midyear Meeting on March 30-31. Debbie Humphries of New England Yearly Meeting led the program, “Living Faithful Lives.” Debbie emphasized living lives of prophetic ministry, while taking care not to outrun our Guide by doing good to which we aspire but are not led. Faithful witness arises from the Divine rather than ego or inadequately seasoned good intentions. As in the past, there was a craft and arts sale for the benefit of our regional AFSC.
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Financial Statement–Midyear Meeting 2019 Donations 3,374.00 Disbursements 240.00 Glissman Rental 240.00 Speaker 450.00 Hospitality Expense 100.00 Committee and Motel expense 101.74 Food 800.00 Cook 500.00 Supplies 77.00 Hosting Fee 300.00 Scattergood transportation 200.00 Forwarded to Yearly Meeting 605.26 Total Disbursements $3,374.00 Submitted by A. M. Fink, clerk
We approved the 2019 Interim Meeting Report.
Clerk- Deborah Dakin (Whittier) Assistant Clerk- Carol Gilbert (Omaha) Deborah Fisch (Paullina and Des Moines), Nancy Osborne Johnson (Bear Creek), Alice Hampton (Whittier), Bill Deutsch (Decorah), Ruth Hampton (Whittier), AM Fink (Ames), Marge Schlitt (Lincoln), Jean Eden (Lincoln) Lorene Ludy (Lincoln), George Bergus (West Branch), Bob Yeats (Whittier), Richard Johnson(Bear Creek) , Charlie Johnson (Ames) Suzan Zeigler (Ames).
We agree that our Yearly Meeting endorse the travelling minute of Debbie Humphries and entrust our Yearly Meeting clerk to add appropriate wording to it before returning it to her when she leaves. The annual sessions of North Carolina (Conservative) Yearly Meeting (NCYMC) will be held 7/10 to 7/14/2019 and Ohio Yearly Meeting (OYM) will be held 8/5 to 8/11/2109. We are seeking IYMC Friends to attend these yearly meetings on our behalf. We approve both Roy Helm and Deborah Fisch to attend either of these meetings for us, should way open for either one to do so. We encourage others to consider attending NCYM(C) and OYM to help keep the ties between our yearly meetings. We rely on Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 3 the Yearly Meeting clerk's discernment to find and help other IYMC Friends to attend these meetings on our behalf, as needed.
On behalf of Interim Meeting, Deborah Dakin, clerk Carol Gilbert, assistant clerk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AFSC Corporation 2019 We appreciated hearing the good report from our American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Corporation members.
The American Friends Service Committee has for over 100 years been the public face of Friends’ work in support of our testimonies. The theme of the Annual Corporation Meeting this year was “Building Advocacy for the Future.” Domestically, our organization continues its work with populations of immigrants, youth, and the imprisoned as well as advocating for changes in society as a whole that will improve life for all people. Our advocacy for peaceful solutions recognizes the terrible cost of war and the preparation for war that consume so much of our treasure and talent. Much of our international work is involved with the healing after the violence of war. Your IYMC representatives heard from dedicated staff and volunteers that have been working hard on the issues of immigration, prison and sentencing reform, Palestine issues and issues of youth, poverty, and racism. Staff presentations highlighted “Love Knows No Borders,” an AFSC-led inter-religious demonstration to protest the treatment of immigrants on the border with Mexico, plans for a “Defund Hate” campaign to begin in August, and work with and support for Palestinians who suffer daily under a cruel, military occupation. A fascinating and educational session was held with Diane Randall, Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), about the differences and intersections of the work of our country's largest Quaker organizations, AFSC and FCNL. In keeping with the overall theme of building for the future, there was extended debate on whether AFSC should also take on the issue of climate change in addition to all its other issues and
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 4 programs. After much discussion and seasoning, staff agreed to outline the shape of a new, small, beginning program in that direction for next meeting. A Search Committee has been appointed to search for a new clerk of the AFSC Board. Their work is ongoing, and they hope to announce the results of their search at the next Corporation meeting in April 2020. AFSC continues to operate despite financial problems. Problems of demographics of the donor base, changing accounting practices and the large number of restricted donations have made it a difficult time for the organization to have access to the funds it needs to carry out our work in the world. When you encounter staff and volunteers for AFSC in your travels, please give them a big THANK YOU for their dedication and hard work. For the AFSC Committee Bob Yeats & Ann Stromquist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Document Committee – Epistles from Other Yearly Meetings We appreciated hearing the variety of epistle portions our Document Committee selected for us.
Epistle from Netherlands Yearly Meeting 10-12 May 2019 On one of the evenings we played a creative game with penetrating questions. The game can be used in meetings to raise issues in a relaxed manner, such as slow decision making and using newer terminology (for example “Silent Meeting” instead of “Meeting for Worship” and “Conversation from the Silence” instead of “Worship Sharing”)… This epistle was co-written with a 10 year-old. Together with the other children present, he enjoyed playing with clay, jumping on the trampoline and playing chess. Being occasionally in the presence of adults informs the children of the customs and insights of Quakers. …. The ongoing work on our Quaker Faith and Practice has sometimes had difficult periods. But now, after the work is almost done, and as we are working toward our first publication, we realize that “the perfect is sometimes the enemy of good”. As a solution
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 5 we call the printed version a “time bound” document, and there will be a website version that will be a living document which we will continue to enrich. …We have noticed how important it is to deal with our conflicts in a Quaker way and how we can support each other in the emotions that those conflicts can evoke. We have felt very connected with each other in this.
Epistle of the Yearly Meeting of Aotearoa New Zealand 17-20 May 2019 The challenges we face with shrinking numbers but the desire to do many things were brought into sharp focus. Do we do less? Streamline our processes? Seek to expand our membership? Or all three? The spirit is willing, but our human resources are stretched and we need to discern the essential things and concentrate on them. We welcomed our Australia Yearly Meeting guest and heard that Australia was in a period of change responding to similar pressures and concerns that we face. It was gratifying to discover that we are not alone, and we hope we can learn from our shared experience. We look forward to hearing whether their decision to include Junior Young Friends in Yearly Meeting planning will bear fruit in attracting and retaining these young people. The climate emergency is a spiritual crisis for us and is exercising both our hearts and our minds. … We drink from wells we did not dig. We warm ourselves at fires we did not kindle. (Deuteronomy 6:11) In doing so we have a responsibility to take on the role of kaitiaki (guardians) for resources and leave the world a better place for those that follow.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting- reported to Annual Session At Frederick Maryland, 8th Month, 5th Day 2018 To Friends Everywhere, Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) gathered to consider the theme “Radical Listening, Rooted in Love.” Reverberations from last year’s tumultuous closing business meeting were felt throughout the year. During Interim Meetings, in committee work, in many local Meetings, Friends have sought to deepen their awareness of inherent bias in our life as a community and to develop strategies for growth and change. At this 347th Annual Session, echoing Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 6 messages charge us to engage now in efforts to envision and build the Religious Society of Friends of the future.
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We felt deeply grateful to receive such personal and moving epistles to us from North Carolina and Ohio. The Ohio epistle challenged us, and we were moved by their clear expression of faith. The shared roots between our three Conservative meetings go back through many years and run deep. We want to nourish and maintain them. It is important to us that we continue the visitation between our meetings that has brought us so much joy.
Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) 61830 Sandy Ridge Road, Barnesville OH 43713 USA - 08-20-2018
“He who gives life was shown to us. We saw him and can give proof about it. And now we announce to you that he has life that continues forever. He was with God the Father and was shown to us.” I John 1:2
Dear brothers and sisters in Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative, It is with much love that we greet you in the fellowship of Ohio Yearly Meeting and in the body of Christ Jesus. Our 205th session began this week in midsummer with the sound of gentle rain watering the hill country around Barnesville, Ohio. A meeting for worship the first evening was deeply covered in a pulsating silence, punctuated with a few anointed words of ministry. Feeling His presence, we sought His guidance. His love moved among us and for this we are grateful. We are a small gathering this year but still feel God among us in mighty ways, providing us with strength, wisdom, and love to be about Christ’s business. It is a joy to have visitors among us again this year. We are strengthened and encouraged by their presence. Likewise, we are glad for some of our members to be about the Lord’s work visiting, living, and sojourning with Friends across the Religious Society of Friends. We have much to learn from each other and are glad for each one’s witness to the Light.
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Ohio Yearly Meeting has been glad for the advances in technology that simplify interactions between Friends. We rejoice when connections are made in this or any other way. However, the Yearly Meeting as a body decided that we would rely on traditional techniques that (for us) accentuate direct communications. We hope you will be patient with us as we continue to use the postal system to deliver our epistles. Our mornings begin in a circle of Friends with Bibles on their laps. One or the other person, as feels impressed to do so, reads a passage from the Bible. In the following hour we are immersed in interaction with a member who is well versed in the Greek writings of Scripture. He patiently explains some key passages that help us to understand the unique Friends perspective of the Christian religion. We are here for the purpose of executing our business. We do not rush our decision making as we contemplate the query responses and committee reports, seeking to keep our thoughts in tune with our Holy Guide. Interacting throughout the day with our Friends seems to expand the brotherly love felt toward one another. This process seems to bind us together, when each of us share in our own unique way, as listeners try to piece together concerns of members of the body. God spoke to us through his servants. He has invested in us as a miracle. If we are faithful, we can see ourselves that way. God warned us that the enemy uses deception, distraction, discouragement and division. Of these, the most dangerous is division. We were also cautioned about pride, arrogance and self- centeredness. But all these dangers are dissolved when we look inward. It is through the inward search that we will find Him and His cross. Inwardly, we find the strength to pick up that cross and carry it. We were heartened by an encouraging report from the Walton Retirement Home. Recent years were challenging and straining but we now sense a positive future. This future was reflected in the blossoming flowers that greeted Friends collecting for the annual corporation meeting. Given the contentious climate in our country, Ministry and Oversight agreed to write a letter encouraging our nation to return to the ways of Christ. It was difficult to find wording that did not add to the country’s divisiveness but instead promote the loving care of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 8 all humankind. When hope seemed to totally escape them, a Friend rose to propose language that united them and our Lord’s hand became evident. The resulting communication was forwarded to the Yearly meeting. The Yearly Meeting endorsed the letter and set about the work of its distribution. A copy is attached to this epistle and Friends are encouraged to share as way opens. Evening presentations were refreshing and enlightening as we sought to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. We continue to be blessed by children and youth in our midst. Those who work with them are appreciated so very much. As we were about the Lord’s work each day we found purpose and unity. In this unity we fervently pray that the Lord blesses you as He has blessed us. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
In Christ, Philip W. Helms, clerk Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative)
A Christian Call from Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative)
We are Christian Friends (Quakers) from various walks of life, political persuasions, ages, and backgrounds. We share both a desire to obey the Lord and a growing concern that our nation bring itself to the path of righteousness and mercy that Jesus taught. Again and again, Christ calls us to love. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30-31). When we are Christians, this is not optional. If our hearts are full of love, there is no room for fear, because “perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18) Being blessed with God’s abundant love, we should be keeping families together, be welcoming to the strangers, and show compassion to those in need. We should see the best in each other regardless of political affiliation. We know that “the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14) And who is our neighbor? Jesus’ answer is the parable of the good Samaritan. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 9
Only the Samaritan shows mercy to the beaten man. Only the Samaritan is a true neighbor in the eyes of the Lord (Luke 10:35-37). Today, are we acting the part of the priest and the Levite, or of the Samaritan? Is each of us willing to be a good Samaritan only to those who are like us, or who like us, or whom we like? We are to follow Him who is the Truth. (John 14:6). In an era of confusion between falsehood and truth, we risk leaving Christ's side when we listen to only what pleases us. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) For the sake of Christ, it is worth investigating the truth, wherever it may lead. In the words of Isaac Pennington (a 17th century Friend). “truth will not lose ground by being tried.” The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Is that what we are showing the world? As Christians, we are called to live exemplary lives that glorify God (I Peter 2:13) Standing on the True Foundation, the Rock of Christ, let us return to His path, stand in the Light of Christ Jesus that reveals all things, and bears witness to our Lord above all – above party, above friends, above media, and above ourselves.
In Christ, Philip W. Helms, clerk Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative)
North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) PO Box 4591 Greensboro, NC 27404 [email protected]
7th Month 14th, 2019
Dear Friends of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), While gathered on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington on 07/ 11-14, 2019, for our 322nd Annual Sessions, we send warm greetings of love to our friends in Iowa Yearly Meeting. We were so happy to receive your thoughtful epistle, which gave us insight into your concerns and deliberations. We certainly share many of those concerns. We felt the absence of a Friend from Iowa this year, but know that our meetings are dear to each other and that we will not go long without intervisitation.
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Our theme this year was “Retire to the Quietness; let the Light Shine,” which brings together two thoughts of Robert Barclay. These words indeed describe how our shared time together gave us a quiet space to retire and reflect, so that we may better let our Light shine. This year finds Friends on both a monthly and yearly meeting levels wrestling with questions of how to best let that Light shine – how to live out our faith in a divided nation and a world characterized by systemic racism, inequality and militarism - and what practically needs to be in place to support those efforts. We have struggled over what should be our relationship to the Poor People’s Campaign, in which many of our monthly meetings are active participants. However, at these sessions, we came to clarity with a statement of endorsement for the Campaign that we will publicize (attached). We approved the creation of both a budget line-item and a committee for the purpose of supporting those in monthly meetings working with the Campaign. Our Book of Discipline revision is in its sixth year. The committee has been faithful in its work and we are grateful for all it has done. At this session, provisional approval was given to the section on the Queries. A central activity of our yearly meeting is the reading of the monthly meetings’ answers to the Queries, and their State of the Meeting reports, to the gathered body. In those exercises this year, Friends shared moving accounts of their meetings’ struggles, joys, sorrows and growth that helped us better understand our shared opportunities and challenges. On Fifth Day evening, Toby Berla (Durham Meeting) led us in “Reflecting on the Images of the Cross.” He shared with us the history of what the cross has meant to different religious communities. He asked us to think of the cross as a place where chronos and kairos – the temporal and eternal, the human and divine -- meet. He then led those present in a wide-ranging discussion of what the cross means to us today. On Sixth Day evening, Visiting Friend Johan Maurer (Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting, Moscow Monthly Meeting) was inspired by a text from Robert Barclay’s Apology, “For, when I came into the silent assemblies of God’s people, I felt a secret power among them” to explore both how we encounter the “secret power” of the Divine and how we share such truth. He then illustrated how these processes informed his experience in Russia as a Friend who wanted to share his faith but could not always do so openly. He stressed the Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 11 positive, loving relationships that can be established between Russians and Americans. During our time together, we heard from several representatives of Quaker organizations and ministries. • Nikki Holland of FUM’s Belize Friends Ministries asked for our prayers and financial support. • Emma Condori of Holiness Friends Yearly Meeting in Bolivia, and Director of the Friends International Bilingual Center in LaPaz, told us about the climate change work of the International Quaker Youth Action Project, which brings together youth in Bolivia and youth in the United States. • Riley Robinson of Friends Committee on National Legislation spoke of FCNL’s mission and accomplishments. • Nancy Haines (Durham Meeting) reported for the Friends Committee on North Carolina Legislation, newly created to help bring the values of Friends to the state political process. While FCNCL is under the spiritual care of Piedmont Friends Yearly Meeting, they are a group that is independent of any yearly meeting, and welcome all to participate in their work. • Mary Jo Klingle of Quaker Earthcare Witness announced that Lauri Langham (Durham Meeting) will be visiting the monthly meetings, and that Earthcare Witness will be meeting in Durham in April 2020. • Director Kindra Bradley reported that Quaker House is on the eve of their 50th anniversary celebration. At a Seventh Day evening program, she shared the work of Quaker House through a series of new videos, followed by a panel discussion featuring past directors Bob Gosney and Chuck Fager, as well as current counselors Lenore Yarger and Steve Wollford. We were blessed with many families with young children. A devoted team of volunteers offered a robust children’s and youth program that included games, activities and trips to the beach. Visiting Friend Chuck Jones (Chattanooga Meeting) offered a daily “Kites, Wind and Spirit” program. The children and youth also spent time helping at the Good Shepherd Shelter. Ruby Braye led a daily intergenerational Bible study on the Gospel of John (4:24, 16:13, 6:63), the First Letter of John (4:4) and Galatians (6:16). We also had several interest group meetings, a book room, shared activities and shared meals. On Seventh Day evening, Friends enjoyed an intergenerational talent show. Friends Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 12 had many opportunities for spiritual growth and fellowship in our time together, whether during evening snack time or walking across campus together. The weather was hot and humid, but the lovely campus landscaping featured many shade trees, and we appreciated the hawks and other birds who live there. We hold you in our hearts and pray that you know the love that we have for you, and experience the Love of God with which we have been so richly blessed. Please know that it would warm our hearts if you were able to visit with us next year. We will meet for our 323rd session in Greensboro, NC, 07/9-12, 2020, if in accordance with Divine Will.
On behalf of North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), Gwen Gosney Erickson, clerk
Note from the Document Committee for Iowa Yearly Meeting: Additional epistles from Quaker gatherings may be viewed on the Friends World Committee for Consultation site: www.fwcc.world/epistles-from-quaker-groups-from-around-the- world .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We now adjourn to meet again Fifth Day at 9:30 a.m.
Fifth Day – Thursday a.m. – 7/25/2019 We return to the business of the Yearly Meeting.
And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil”. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.” But he answered and said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then came she and worshipped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” But he answered and said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs.” And she said “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew 15:21-28 (KJV) Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 13
Judy Plank and Marshall Massey have been appointed readers this morning.
Minute of Third Day and Fourth Day Activities The Religious Society of Friends offers a process for decision making that helps connect us to something much bigger than majority rule. On Third Day evening, Bill Deutsch and Deborah Fisch offered our opening collection: Holding Meeting in a Holy Place. Drawing on their experiences as clerks, Deborah and Bill described the ineffable quality of when the "Body's sense is the Spirit's sense" and shared practical suggestions and different courtesies we can do to nurture this Spirit in our meetings for worship with attention to business: Come with hearts and minds prepared; Aim to be exemplars of waiting worship; Listen deeply to each person and keep sacred space after words to allow the words to settle in. The evening renewed our sense of the joy and privilege it can be to worship this way.
For Friends wanting to roll up their sleeves and put faith into action, our afternoon presentations from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Midwest Region offered many options. We learned about participating in FCNL's local Advocacy Teams, the new staff director for Native American Advocacy, and the contagious energy generated by the many young people going to DC to learn how to lobby for justice. AFSC also inspired us with their wide range of programs and resources and offered a special focus on the good work being done on immigration issues in their Des Moines office right now. Both presentations empowered us. The work is doable, is good, and is waiting for us join in.
Being faithful to a leading that first arose in her when she was 10 years old, Shirley Scritchfield of Penn Valley Meeting spoke to us about "Standing in Solidarity with People of Color” for our evening collection. Shirley discussed how systemic racism is not personal to any one of us, but affects each one of us as to the amount of ease or difficulty in which we move through life. Shirley encouraged us to not shy away, but to develop personal stamina to explore our racial discomfort. As the evening drew toward the end, a Friend gave words to a question felt by many, "What are Friends doing in their Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 14 individual lives to combat racism?" The resulting conversation offered all present a "good beginning" to end their evening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We approved the following appointments from the Representatives Committee: Exercise Committee: Bill Deutsch, Jan Powell, Alice Hampton Audit Committee: Carole Winkelblack, Carol Gilbert Epistle Committee and Special Replies Committee: Deborah Fisch and Stan Sanders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We appreciated hearing the good report about FWCC's work.
Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) 2019 Report From IYMC Representative, Nancy Jordan: Although I am new to FWCC, and have not had any experience with them yet, I am eager to start to serve. I am particularly struck by the converging of FWCC and Quaker work as defined in their Bulletin: "Express a new way of thinking. Imagine peace and justice. Reshape world perception."
Strategic Goals for 2015-2023 are as follows: 1. To increase understanding among Friends from different traditions, connecting Quakers of all traditions in the Americas. 2. To communicate and transmit the inspiring power of our work in order to involve more Friends in FWCC's ministry- transforming lives and faith communities through cross-branch understanding. 3. To find new sources of funding to sustain the staffing and programs necessary to advance our mission. I am looking forward to starting to contribute toward those strategic goals and to report back to IYMC in 2020.
In service, Nancy Jordan
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We appreciate the work of the Publication Committee. The work is not easy, and it depends on the cooperation of all of us. The approved reports such as Nominating Committee, the Yearly Meeting Budget and Apportionments, and our Directory are used throughout the year, so we hope to get the printed hard copies of these books as soon as possible.
Publication Committee Report The Publications Committee of Iowa Yearly Meeting (C) is charged with preparing, publishing, and distributing the minute book for our annual sessions. The committee always appreciates the timely and accurate receipt of the minutes and committee reports from our yearly meeting clerk. The Iowa Yearly Meeting Directory of Members and Attenders was prepared by Nat Case of Laughing Waters Preparative Meeting and deserves our appreciation for compiling this information so often used by members of our yearly meeting. The cost of printing the minute book and the cost of postage in mailing these books to each monthly meeting are listed with this report. Also listed was the cost of mailing books to a few individuals and institutions who have requested our annual publication. The committee will continue our practice of asking each monthly meeting clerk for the number of spiral-bound and spine- bound copies they would like for their members/attenders. We always ask meetings to be conservative in these numbers to save the cost of printing/mailing and the cost of resources. Assistance and printing came from Bob Goodfellow Printing in Iowa City.
Printing and Postage costs for the 2018 Minute Book Minutes for 2018 255 @ 10.2159 2,605.00 Shipping and Freight 235 235.00 Sales Tax – Johnson Co. 6% 156.30 Total $2,966.30
For the Committee Martha Davis, clerk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We greatly appreciate having our website and all it offers. The committee's convener shared with us some of the workings of this
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 16 committee, and the joy in working with each other as well as their ongoing discussion and differing opinions regarding a "members only" section. We approved their request and entrust them to continue this work.
2019 Website Committee Report for Yearly Meeting The Website Committee has settled into maintaining and building on the website that was created last year, including posting announcements, such as the Clerk’s Letter, and information regarding Midyear Meeting and Yearly Meeting. In addition to putting up announcements for Yearly Meeting events, we have added online registration capabilities. We would hope that members and attenders of IYM(C) feel free to contact us with suggestions via one of the committee members, or via the web committee's email: [email protected]. We also continue to maintain the directory of members and attenders. Going forward – Website Committee. Does the early meeting approve that the website committee continue to develop and design the appearance and organization of the website, with the understanding that the committee would seek approval/advice/discernment as needed for new content, and would contact appropriate people for content on items, such as the Junior Yearly Meeting, Young Friends, etc. Would the yearly meeting like the Website Committee to continue to maintain the directory, or would this function be better handled by another committee?
Submitted for the committee, John Andrews
We approve this report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2018 Entertainment Committee Report. “Being Centered in an Uncentered World” was the theme of 2018 Iowa Yearly Meeting annual session, planned and hosted by Decorah, Iowa City, West Branch and Whittier Monthly Meetings.
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Evening Collections helped us learn to see truth and beauty in everyday images, how to be intervene in situations when someone needs help, shared thoughts on staying centered to prevent burnout, and a panel that shared on the use of discernment, clearness and decision making.
2018 Entertainment Committee Financial Report
RECEIPTS Forwarded from 2017 Committee……………………………2,000.00 Contributions…………………………………………………………12,650.00 Total………………………………………………………………….$14,650.00
EXPENSES Scattergood Friends School Program………………………11,000.00 Printing, Postage & Supplies……………………… ……………….…93.70 Child Care…………………………………………………………………………0.00 To Yearly Meeting Trustees…………………………………….…1,556.30 Forwarded for 2019 Committee…………………..……………2,000.00 Total…………………………………………………….……………….$14,650.00
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We listened to the Archives Committee Report and were delighted by their offer to see if the Iowa Historical Society is able to keep transcripts and recordings of our yearly meeting oral histories. We thank them for their work.
Archives Committee Report to Iowa Yearly Meeting, 2019 Archives Committee met at Scattergood on 07-24-2019. A year ago we were offering books from the library of Paullina Monthly Meeting to meetings of Iowa Yearly Meeting for their libraries. This year, the remaining books are in the auditorium, being offered free to any good home. We think as many as possible should stay in the Iowa Yearly Meeting family. We are aware of a number of small oral history projects that have taken place within Iowa Yearly Meeting over the decades, and we wonder if the Yearly Meeting would like us to try to gather information about such projects. If so, we would begin by approaching the State Historical Society of Iowa Library to see if Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 18 transcripts or recordings could be included in our collection of documents there. For the committee, Dan Treadway. Clerk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We listened to the Special Needs Committee Report.
Special Needs Committee Report 2019 It has been a quiet year for the Special Needs Committee. We have focused mainly on keeping our sound system and induction loop functioning and making sure that our aids for folks with mobility difficulties are available. There have been glitches, but our goal is to make sure that there are no physical barriers to meeting participation. Areas of the campus accessible by a wheelchair need to be increased. The committee will be meeting this week to see what improvements we can make on a limited budget. If you have ideas for improvements, please speak with a member of the committee* or consider joining yourself. for the Committee, Bob Yeats * Members of the committee are John Andrews, Deborah Fisch, Sara Rutledge, Harry Olmstead, and Bob Winchell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Queries and Selected Responses We listened to our queries and the selected responses. We are grateful for the way they challenge us, help us to grow and affirm what we share with each other across the yearly meeting. We wonder how monthly meetings are using the queries and if they are serving their intended function. We request our Ministry and Counsel committee to consider taking up these questions on our behalf.
Selections From Query Responses Submitted by Monthly Meetings for 2019 Annual Sessions
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Query 1 - Meeting for Worship Are our Meetings for Worship held in a spirit of expectant waiting and communion with the Holy Spirit? How do we prepare our hearts and minds for worship? How do we refer to that which is divine? How does ascribing gender to the Holy Spirit affect our worship? How do we integrate our daily lives with Meeting for Worship? Do we seek opportunities for worship outside of meeting? How does the vocal ministry of the meeting contribute to its spiritual life? In what ways do we recognize and nurture vocal ministry and other spiritual gifts?
Responses: Sometimes it is very obvious that you should be giving vocal ministry, there is a physical feeling, like quaking, that makes you feel like you should be talking. If you’re feeling like you need to say it, you don’t have to understand why, or who the message might be for. When I first started attending there were many more who spoke out in meeting, and sometimes the message would become more meaningful or important to me later, even months or years later.
Practices at home, such as a moment of silence before eating, help us in many ways, including living with a feeling of gratitude, and bringing centered worship more easily. Practice over the years has made it easy for us to enter that frame of mind on Sunday mornings, and even other times during the week, and in times of trouble or when something needs to be put “in God’s hands” because we don’t have control over it. Even a minute or two of worship can provide a sense of God’s presence throughout the day.
Some use simple words like “thank you”, “wow”, “help me”. When I am angry with someone, if I wait patiently I will be taught ways to empathize with the person and learn something about myself from the situation. I find that the older I get, the more I am aware of the gifts I have been given and grateful for the experiences I’ve had. I am trusting God more than I did when I was younger. Life is often a learning that our personal power is not as great as we once thought it was.
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Regarding the gender of God, you don’t know how powerful the pronoun is until you switch it and notice the different images or feelings that are invoked within you. Of course, God is really both and neither, and there is no way to know or define God entirely; the images we use are only reflections of our needs, not of God itself.
Query 2 - Outreach Do we encourage inter-visitation within the Yearly Meeting and with other Friends? What are we doing to share our faith with others outside our Friends’ community? How do we speak truth as we know it and yet remain open to truth as understood by others? In what ways do we cooperate with persons and groups with whom we share concerns? How do we reach out to those with whom we disagree? How do we make the presence of our meeting known to the larger community? Do we invite others to share in our Meetings for Worship and other meeting activities? Do we welcome everyone and appreciate the gifts that differences such as race, creed, economic status, disability, age, gender or sexual orientation may bring to us?
Responses: We have visited with various Friends who travel regularly to other meetings and enjoy hearing about all the things that connect us, as well as passing on our greetings to others. We include visiting faraway meetings during our family vacations, especially meetings that have connections to our own. History comes alive when we are able to discover the seeds that scattered and grew into new meetings all over this country and beyond. We feel the warmth of the community of Friends when we are able to visit these far-flung meetings.
On cooperation with those with whom we share concerns: Challenging both sides may be more in keeping with the Spirit than tolerating and forming alliances with the lesser evil. Done in the Spirit of Love it can move both sides toward Truth. An example of challenging both sides was an objection to the letter proposed at IYMC 2018 sessions by the Peace and Social Concerns Committee opposing the Authorization of Use of Military Force. Many wanted to support the bill because it would restrict authority of the US Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 21 president to go to war, but because it would grant Congress that authority, it fell short. Political lobbying with integrity can bear fruit and bring others to the Light. We seem to be in a phase of focusing on getting the bad guys out and good guys in, and we need to remember to support right action by either side. We are conflicted about whether to compromise and support the person who is more electable or support the person who is more right. We need to remember that good actions and bad actions have happened regardless of which party is in power. We’ve never had a pure and perfect political leader, even when they were Quakers.
We feel we do well in cooperating with persons and groups with whom we share concerns, but not so well in reaching out to those with whom we disagree. Is this because we fear we would invite rejection? Those of us who vigil in opposition to the death penalty are doing a form of outreach to some who may disagree with us.
We feel we welcome all who walk in our door, but we wonder how we can connect with those outside who may want to come but are not aware that we are here, or of who we are. A newcomer shared that she recognized in our group something that resonated, something she could not name—unless perhaps its name is Love.
We realize that we put a lot of responsibility on everyone who comes. We expect people to live their beliefs. For us, how we live our lives is what is important, what we do here and now while we are alive, rather than what might happen after death, something we cannot know.
Query 3 – Meeting for Business How can we hold our Meetings for Business in the spirit of love, understanding and patient search for unity without becoming frustrated by differences of opinion or the pressures of time? How do we respond when no one else in the meeting seems to hold the views that we do on an issue? How do we respond to a dissenting minority? How do we share responsibilities among Friends in our meeting? How do we serve our meetings?
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Responses: Many of us feel comfortable expressing our views here, and do not feel that we will be judged for doing so. Some of us DO feel stressed about sharing views that we know others do not share, and it requires some courage and determination to override these fears. We are such a small group that it can be hard to find Friends who share our desire to focus on a particular area of interest, whether it be eliminating nuclear weapons, promoting support for prisoners re- entering society, or living a greener, eco-friendly lifestyle. We all benefit when the Spirit assures us that this is a safe place to empty our hearts.
The sound system continues to be improved. It is difficult to hear, especially when the heater is running. We are getting used to using the microphone. In the past, some of us have been reluctant to speak when we are unsure of what has been said. Communication is becoming easier and more productive as we use these devices.
As well as commonalities, there may be considerable diversity among Friends. It often takes Friends a long time to reach clarity on an issue. This is because great care tends to be taken to listen to and consider all voices. An issue may need seasoning, which may mean a time to process the question outside of business meeting as well as inside. We strongly affirm that we learn more by listening than by talking.
Query 4 – Harmony within the Meeting What can we do to deepen our relationships with one another? How does gender affect the way we relate to each other? How does our meeting balance the needs for honesty and kindness? What topics do we avoid for the sake of “unity”? When in conflict with others, do we cultivate a forgiving spirit? Do we look to that of God in ourselves and seek to address that of God in those with whom we disagree?
Responses: We reflected on some history among Iowa Friends, when there had been some religious revival going on. We were reminded that there are behaviors among Friends that could turn the focus away from our corporate worship that is to center on God’s Love. Conservative Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 23
Friends traditionally value the corporate nature of Quakerism, thinking of ourselves as all pieces of a larger cloth, and there is extra concern these days that we take care not to disrupt such cohesiveness, that we are part of the specialness of Iowa Conservative Friends together. There can be pressure not to bring up conflict because of our strong focus on the group’s cohesion. On the other hand, there could be an extra level of trust that a conflict can in fact be handled without disconnecting because of the strong focus on the group.
Attending worship frequently reminds us that we are in-and-of the meeting together, and that that which one of us may want from the meeting might not be what another Friend wants. When we miss times to worship together on a regular basis, we may miss hearing, seeing, or knowing the larger pattern or evolving character of the meeting that is created by all our experiences and through all Friends of the meeting. Attending worship frequently helps us understand how we are, together. When we misstep and start to be possessive of the meeting—how “my” meeting is or isn’t supposed to be—we might need to move into a place of forgiveness for Friends’ not wanting the same things. In that forgiveness, there can be a loosening of our grasp of what any of us thought of as "my meeting," and we can remember that God and Love are the center of our relationships and our meetings, not our individual desires set apart from one another.
The questions about harmony within the meeting are particularly salient for us since two members and one long-time attender have fairly recently stepped away. We know our small size makes it difficult for people to find Friends who are like them, but if we are rooted in the Vine, genuine relationships should arise out of the Spirit. We are reminded that we don’t come to Meeting simply to find a group of like-minded people, but rather we seek to know and be faithful to God. We do need to speak out more often and more clearly about our faith experiences, including our fears, doubts, and failings. And listen carefully.
The relationship that is uniquely Quaker is the one that is about faithfulness. You are my Friends if you do whatsoever I command to you. “How has the Spirt dealt with thee since we last met?” and Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 24
“What is thy teaching for us this day?” are helpful questions to ask together every week. This sort of question is not included in our Queries.
Query 5 - Mutual Care How do we respond to each other’s personal needs and difficulties in sensitive and useful ways? Do we encourage both men and women to share in caregiving? What are we doing to welcome and draw members and attenders of all ages into the fellowship of the meeting? How do we help our children feel the loving care of the meeting? What do the children contribute to the meeting? How do we keep in touch with inactive and distant members and attenders?
Responses: As an aging meeting, we are very conscious of giving and receiving care. Some members feel comfortable asking for help and express their gratitude to those helpers. Other members are less enthusiastic about being helped. We go gently as we give rides and bring food. Both givers and receivers have reached a good balance and seem to be more comfortable in their roles. We are grateful for all the helpers here.
We wonder whether we share similar expectations. It is not something we tend to talk about. There are some who attended for a while and no longer do. We wonder what their expectations were. Do we need to talk about the expectations we have and bring to the meeting?
Do we have a sense or memory of being loved in meeting? How do we let people know that they are valued and loved? Recognizing a gift or a potential and asking someone to serve in a way that the person has not realized that they could serve is a possible way to communicate that and to help that person grow into his/her potential. So, we need to invite people to take on responsibilities for the sake of that person and the community. We need to be aware of our giving potential and to “give thanks for everything and take nothing for granted.
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Query 6 – Education How can we most effectively foster a spirit of inquiry and a loving and understanding attitude toward life? What effort are we making to become better acquainted with the Bible, the teachings of Jesus, our Judeo-Christian heritage, the history and principles of Friends, and the contributions of other religions and philosophies to our spiritual heritage? In what ways can we encourage an educational process that is consistent with the values Friends cherish? How do gender based expectations affect the goals we set and the way we learn? Do we take an active and supportive interest in schools, libraries and other educational resources in our communities and elsewhere? How do we prepare ourselves and our children to play active roles in a changing world?
Responses: We learn from our direct experience of situations that surprise us and on which we later reflect; from interacting with people from backgrounds that are quite different from our own; and from turning to nontraditional literature, media, and other sources of information. The Light shows us parts of humanity that we normally cannot see or seldom consider. For example, some of us have learned from the movement for Black lives; the nonviolent protests at Standing Rock; the solidarity work in support of undocumented immigrants. Without personal, direct relationship with people who participated in these significant historic actions, our education would be limited to whatever the mainstream media might convey. But our friends of color, and our contacts within the indigenous community, teach us and educate us not just about what happened but also what a just, inclusive community could be like.
Those of us fortunate to attend Scattergood Friends School received an amazing education. We learned how to live and work in community, because that was how we actually lived at the school. We had to struggle with community problems, come up with solutions, and then implement them. We learned the tools to prepare us to be lifelong learners and community leaders.
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Quaker Voluntary Service provides opportunities for young people to learn to live in community and work on social justice issues. Quaker publications like Pendle Hill Pamphlets and Friends Journal are helpful educational sources. The relatively new QuakerSpeak videos are not only well done, but are in a format that might be more likely to reach young people.
Query 7 – Home and Family How can we make our homes places of love and hospitality? What different expectations do we hold for women and men, boys and girls? How can we bring more equality into our relationships? How do we develop and maintain lines of communication? In what ways do we share our deepest experiences, struggles, concerns and beliefs with our children and others, yet encourage them to develop their potential as the Spirit leads them? What place do we make in our daily lives for meditation, spiritual renewal and reading of inspiring literature, such as the Bible? How does our meeting support families of all kinds?
Responses: We are aware that these Queries we are addressing are based on the assumption that those responding grew up in or are living in Quaker homes; many of us responding today are living in the Center (Community Corrections Center of Lincoln), an institution quite different from a regular home. For those of us living at the Center, it does not seem like home as there are different energies there and a lack of respect for others. We want our homes to reflect peace and love; we do not find this at the Center and we have no control over what others do there.
We do have control over our own attitudes and actions. We would like to lead the younger generation into better ways of life including gender equality. Someone shared that his mother used to share stories of her life that made him angry, but he’s beginning now to have some forgiveness in his heart. Many want to share the stories of struggles of the past with their children, so that their future will be better; we hope the children can overcome stereotypes. We teach our children as we grow, hoping they do not make our mistakes. One person shared the embarrassment he experienced in Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 27 having to teach his children about white racism, about how to act in the face of police violence and that we still have to teach this after all these years.
We are living in a very violent world. We know that White Privilege means that this violence affects us in different ways and at different levels. The lack of racial equality is evident in the varied responses that come as we experience or witness racist behaviors.
Though none of us are living with children at this time, we all need to nurture ourselves as well as each other. It is good when we can visit each other in our homes; that there are a variety of kinds of family, all needing nurture and safety. Home for all of us is somewhere we can feel safe; it may not be an actual place; it may be time with a friend or alone. We agree that home is where the heart is; if my heart is with me, then I am at home.
Query 8 - Personal Responsibility How do we center our lives in the awareness of God the Spirit, so that all things may take their rightful places? How do we structure our individual lives in order to keep them uncluttered with things and activities? How does Meeting help us examine our personal lives for simplicity? Do we choose recreational activities which foster mental, physical and spiritual health? How are our lives affected by tobacco, alcohol and drug use? What can we do to deal with problems resulting from their use? What can we do to recognize and deal with unhealthy ways we treat ourselves? How do we ensure that we act with fairness and integrity? Are we sensitive to our own use of language which may be offensive or oppressive to others?
Responses: We feel that we personally need some quiet space in our lives to nurture a relationship with God, or even awareness of God’s existence. We tend to clutter our own lives with news, social media, emails. One spiritual practice is to take advantage of moments of waiting that are imposed on us in the course of daily living: time while the coffee is brewing or the bread is toasting. We need to Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 28 balance de-cluttering with maintaining a healthy social life. One member who has recently moved into an assisted living community feels unduly pressured to join community activities. Another feels annoyed by overly social work colleagues. Screen time is both sedentary and distracting from the Spirit. We know we should be informed, and there is a place for screen-based entertainment, but we don’t need to go overboard, we need to find a balance. One Friend wondered if we are upside down in considering how we can cut back on things here and there to make time for the Spirit. That may be misinterpreting the Thomas Kelly quote at the beginning of the advice, about “living life from the Center. “
We sense that living from the Center means finding balance and finding balance in many ways was a theme of this sharing. Some of us are blessed with unstructured time which seems to more easily allow for spiritual growth. And at the same time, we appreciate Thomas Kelly’s wisdom that the spiritual life takes no time while it occupies all of our time. What is the meaning of time and how we balance it?
Many of us struggle with keeping a balance in honoring both respect for self with respect for others. Honesty in our communications with others sometimes needs to be balanced with consideration for their perspectives. Often we can be more open and honest with those we know well, while we are more circumspect with strangers. Balance involves finding a place where one is ‘at home,’ and it is our responsibility to find that place within ourselves. Some of us know that much inner housecleaning must be done before that home place is comfortable. Integrity for us means being one’s true self, speaking one’s own truth, from one’s own experience. This means not judging others and using the opportunity that reflecting on Queries gives us to look at ourselves.
Taking a longer view and being in the present challenge us. Looking forward to what will happen and savoring the now — both valued.
Query 9 – Civic Responsibility What conflicts do we perceive between the laws of the State and our religious convictions? How do we resolve those conflicts in
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 29 our lives? In what ways do we assume responsibility for the government of our community, state, nation and world? How do we share our convictions with others? Do we express our opinions with courage, yet with love, mindful of the Divine Spirit within everyone? How do we maintain our integrity when we find ourselves in a position of power? How do we respond when we feel powerless? Do we really respect and help those we seek to serve? Are we careful to reach our decisions through prayer and strengthen our actions with worship? Are we open to Divine leadings?
Responses: We have a long history of good intentions regarding social justice issues. The Quaker boarding schools for Indigenous children in which we tried to “civilize” these children is one example. The idea of the penitentiary as a more humane and spiritual way to deal with those who broke the laws of the land is another example. Attempts at humane treatment of the mentally ill is another. We acknowledge with humility that we are learners and we recognize that some of the ways we have tried to address wrongs were well intentioned, but still not right. We hope to have the courage to continue efforts to move toward a more just society.
We feel a strong sense of responsibility to vote and to communicate with those we elect to serve us at various levels of government. We value the model John Woolman gave us in his dialoguing respectfully with slave owners regarding the injustice of slavery. We practice praising our elected leaders when we feel that their words and votes are just. We recognize the wrong of current laws that keep many who are able to contribute in a positive way to society from voting. We realize the need to take into account a wide variety of life experiences, rather than seeing only through the lens of our own experience.
We realize the importance of integrity and, when we are in positions of power or responsibility, acting from a spirit of justice and fairness. Another aspect of that integrity is to stay true to ourselves in our speech, especially when we are aware of potential harm to those
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 30 with less power. Being a mediator can require strong integrity and courage.
People of faith can be bridge-builders. Are we called to this work? How can we not vilify others while clearly and strongly speaking our Truth? As Gandhi stated, “It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by the humiliation of their fellow beings.” Can we spend our energy in prayer for those with whom we strongly disagree? Truly respecting those we seek to serve includes letting ourselves be followers to support the development of leadership in marginalized groups. It is important not to co-opt their leadership by always inserting ourselves into these roles.
Query 10 – Environmental Responsibility What are we doing about our disproportionate use of the world’s resources? Do we see unreasonable exploitation in our relationship with the rest of creation? How can we nurture reverence and respect for life? How can we become more fully aware of our interdependent relationship with the rest of creation? To what extent are we aware of all life and the role we play? What can we do in our own lives and communities to address environmental concerns?
Responses: There seems to be a spiritual disconnect between human awareness and what remains of the garden, our perception of paradise, and our place within it. Jesus says, “the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it.” So, in Meeting we discuss how we personally can open ourselves to perceiving and knowing that the natural world is ‘paradise on Earth.’
We are pleased with the new leadership of the QEW and sought this year to support its ministry by sending handwritten, personal letters to every meeting in our yearly meeting to encourage more engagement in this witness. Our meeting contributes to QEW’s outreach. Members are encouraged to check out its newsletter, Befriending Creation. We considered whether we might be living in the sixth great period of extinction, this time created by humankind. Recent studies have shown that the population of flying insects has Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 31 declined 50% - 85% in the last 50 years. This massive decline is affecting birds and pollinators. Our agricultural community loves using fungicides and pesticides, which kill organisms that live in the ground and serve literally as the root of the Web of Life. All of this comes about because of the evolution of the West’s culture of consumption, which in turn contributes to climate change. We are seeing the precursor of what is coming at us in term of floods and droughts. It takes 30-40 years for methane and CO2 to come to equilibrium, so even if we cut off all of our excess production of these gasses, it will take 30-40 years for the climate to stop warming. AFSC and FCNL help us respond to the question of our disproportionate use of resources. QEW has a mini-grant (e.g. $500) available to meetings for initiating small, local projects. ….We are grateful for the work of FCNL to influence national priorities. One resource for engaging more productively in the conversations about climate change is the book What We Think About When We Try Not to Think About Global Warming, Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action by Per Espen Stoknes.
Query 11 - Social and Economic Justice How are we beneficiaries of inequity and exploitation? How are we victims of inequity and exploitation? In what ways can we address these problems? What can we do to improve the conditions in our correctional institutions and to address the mental and social problems of those confined there? How can we improve our understanding of those who are driven to violence by subjection to racial, economic or political injustice? In what ways do we oppose prejudice and injustice based on gender, sexual orientation, class, race, age, and physical, mental and emotional conditions? How would individuals benefit from a society that values everyone? How would society benefit?
Responses: When we attempt to answer how we as members of a Monthly Meeting are victims of inequity and exploitation, we are reminded by the voices and history of the region’s indigenous peoples that the land upon which we live has undergone tremendous destructive alteration after being taken by militia and military force only four and five generations back. In less than 200 years this region between Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 32 two rivers has lost a biological diversity that once equaled tropical rain forests and in terms of plants and animals is now more equal to a desert. That we are victims of inequity and exploitation, in part is due to the slow understanding of how we arrive at this moment, like awakening, opening our eyes, recognizing the very systems that we have inherited, engaged, and wrapped around ourselves, support and further the catastrophe that we see as American economics; the eminent domain of the super-rich. We acknowledge among ourselves that within this nation there is a disparate widening gap between the haves and have-nots, inequity between races, between the privileged and lower class, inequitable distribution of welfare.
At this point in time, we are a very diverse group, some of us benefiting enormously from economic and political structures that have been part of our country throughout its history, while others of us have clearly been the victims of these same structures. One of us shared his story of being imprisoned for 14 years after filing a complaint of discrimination and subsequently being falsely charged with a crime. We were reminded of the suffering of children whose parents are incarcerated — both emotional and economic suffering. We were also reminded that when judges and prosecutors hold elective offices, they are subject to political pressure that may obstruct justice.
We must recognize that, while some of us benefit from our political and economic structures and some of us suffer from these same structures, all of us are beneficiaries of the exploitation of the natural world. Our greed in this exploitation has already begun to cause suffering and more suffering lies ahead. We have a moral duty to cherish creation for all life in the future.
Query 12 - Peace and Nonviolence What are we doing to educate ourselves and others about the causes of conflict in our own lives, our families and our meetings? Do we provide refuge and assistance, including advocacy, for spouses, children, or elderly persons who are victims of violence or neglect? Do we recognize that we can be perpetrators as well as victims of violence? How do we deal with this? How can we support one another so that healing may take place? Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 33
What are we doing to understand the causes of war and violence and to work toward peaceful settlement of differences locally, nationally, and internationally? How do we support institutions and organizations that promote peace? Do we faithfully maintain our testimony against preparation for and participation in war?
Responses: Although it is not always be true, we like the statement of aspiration at the beginning, about seeking “to live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars”. That is how we can be real, authentic, and peaceful. The “shoulds” within this document are not bad, but our real guidance comes from the deep well within. When we dwell there, all is well.
We are aware of the pull to stay in our comfort zone, and we can stay in the bubble as long as we need it. Carry the sword as long as we can. We shouldn’t jump into the water if we don’t know how to swim, but nourished by the power of God we can jump in the water, let the pain of the world into our awareness and respond to it with love. But staying there is sacrificing something huge. Like the rich man who came to Jesus saying he had done everything right all his life but wanted the kingdom of heaven, but wasn’t ready to jump in. He saw what he was sacrificing by not jumping in, and sadly went away. We can sympathize with this young rich man who was not ready yet. We believe the Guide Within walked away with him and continued to speak to him. And the Guide continues to speak to us even though we fall short.
The Alternatives to Violence Project is one way we hope to spread the message of nonviolence and create a little more peace in the world. A Friend testified to his own experience of having benefited from conflict avoidance techniques he learned in AVP… Today we are challenged by growing intolerance in political discourse. We see more and more our neighbors dismissing any opinion not their own as wrong. Friends have varying views on peace and the necessity of military defense. Each of us brings what Light we have to the gathering, and together our Light is made stronger. George Fox is said to have advised William Penn to lay down his sword when he
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 34 was ready to lay it down. By example, we try to lead others to the Light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We now adjourn to meet again Sixth Day at 9:30 a.m.
Sixth Day – Friday a.m. – 07/26/19 Meeting for Worship moving into Business.
We return to the business of the Yearly Meeting.
But as I had forsaken the priests, so I left the separate preachers also, and those esteemed the most experienced people; for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my condition. And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, oh then, I heard a voice which said “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition”; and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. George Fox
Stan Sanders and Nancy Jordan have been appointed readers this morning.
Minute of Fifth Day Activities There were a number of good options for Friends to explore Fifth day afternoon: guided tours of both the Scattergood Farm and the Scattergood prairie, as well as informational meetings on Alternatives to Violence (AVP), and co-housing.
Alice Hampton shared her personal story in the evening presentation Accompaniment as Holding Sacred Space: How The Theme Of Accompaniment Has Been Present in My Life. Alice reminded us of the importance of being present with intention in order to connect to the Spirit when accompanying another person. She shared that when growing up on a farm, it was the horses who were her first teachers in this art.
We learned about ways to connect our physical bodies to become grounded in the Spirit. This helps us hold the space for God to move
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 35 through, in, and around and through the person we are with. Many Friends shared moving stories of their own experiences with accompaniment. It was a powerful evening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are pleased to have Jean Graham from Austin, Texas present.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scattergood Friends School and Farm We listened to the Scattergood Head Report with gladness to hear of the ongoing development of Quaker values that accompany students, not only during their time here, but also as they go out into their future years. We are glad to see our alumni return year after year to share and renew their Scattergood experience.
Members of our yearly meeting care about the students they get to know during the time they are here. We heard about the staff seeking out training and knowledge in order to care for the unique needs of our international students just as they seek to care for the unique needs of all students, regardless of where they come from.
The Farm Report made us smile and also taught us. Its message of the land teaching us hope reminded us of the light that shines through this work.
We heard a comprehensive overview in the financial section of the Head's report, and noted that even with the ongoing challenges, that report too, embodied hope.
We were moved hearing of the remarkable work of our Head, staff, and their families. Their phenomenal vision of what true education can be shines as a light for the world.
Scattergood Friends Head of School Report - July 2019
Dear Friends, It remains a mysterious and deep blessing, especially amidst the turmoil of these times, to report to you as the Head of
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Scattergood Friends School, in stewardship of this community and the Light it shines for young people. Two students received diplomas June 2nd as the Class of 2019 this year with letters of admission to colleges and universities: Latif Behroz and Hua Wei Lee. After serving as co-clerk for the high school Young Friends at FGC this summer in Grinnell, Latif is now in Canada and has declared asylum. He is admitted to York University in Toronto among other colleges that accepted his applications. Hua Wei intends to enroll in the University of Iowa.
Program Our Fall Term Farm Immersion Program, Wilderness trips, Service Trips and May Term continue to provide unique and rich experiences for our students. They remain an integral part of the Scattergood Experience along with Crew, Project Classes and Core Academics. We’ve worked on mapping our curriculum to ensure curricular integrity while continuing to offer unique, substantive and varied courses ranging from The Politics of Superheroes to Beekeeping.
Staffing We wish farewell and give thanks to the following staff who are moving on: Jenn Jansen-Admissions Emily Collins-Development Paul Pressler-Academic Dean and Assistant Head Charlotte Schiller-Academic Support and Res Life support Anne Ventullo-Counseling Greg Wickenkamp-History and Government Jake Edwards-Dorm Sponsor and Assistant Teacher
And we welcome the following staff to the school for the upcoming year. Each has unique and strong qualifications for their positions and I’m particularly gratified with the success of our searches to fill these positions (*Scattergood alumni): Ari Brouwer-Humanities Matt Gauder-Facilities Director Adam Hanson* (2016) Ceramics and cooking Dilek Aksu-Admissions Director Jon David Stroud* (2008) History and Government
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Stacy Roth* (2008) Academic Support Kendall Smith - Development Director Sonja Sponheim - Dean of Students
Sam Taylor, a 14-year Scattergood staff-member, is our new Academic Dean. Sam and Sonja will serve jointly as Assistant Heads at the outset of the year.
Enrollment While we’re still at unsustainable enrollment levels in the mid-twenties, we have had the strongest and most sizable freshman and sophomore classes in years. They bring a wonderfully positive energy and genuine dedication to Quaker testimonies. They include faculty children, alumni children, siblings of alumni, and students with no prior relationship to Scattergood among their numbers. The Middle School initiative is still active with the decision to defer opening to Fall of 2020. Initial interest and advertising for applications in 2018 was not sufficient to launch the program without financial losses. In the meantime we have accomplished a great deal this year in planning. We now have a clear mission statement, outlines of the program, and more clarity about how we operationalize the school economically. A more substantive program description is being developed and this will be utilized by Admissions to develop marketing efforts to interest and engage applicants for the 2020 opening. The Grinnell-inspired initiative to form a post-graduate program on campus, while not dead, has lost a great deal of momentum, as the college decided that they would not participate in efforts to find funding for such a program. We have a small grant from Grinnell to continue research on our own for program design and research funding opportunities, but our limited staffing and the size of the grant precludes putting this higher on our priority list. We remain very significantly constrained by the currently prevailing U.S. State Department practice of visa denials to qualified international applicants and we remain hopeful that this will eventually change, as their being among us has truly vitalized Scattergood’s communities and educational work throughout the decades.
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Financial Review and a Look Ahead We ended the 2018-2019 fiscal year with significantly improved financial results and a deficit amounting to just over $14,000. Along with prudent spending following conservative budgeting, our improved outcome is also a result of significant savings in key administrative salaries with the early departures of two administrators and the short-term engagement of an Associate Director of Development. Our balance sheet is similarly very strong, with total liabilities amounting to less than $120,000 and a zero balance on our short-term line of credit for almost the entire year, yielding additional savings on interest expenses. That said, cash assets are currently very small and we continue to closely manage cash flows in a way that allows us to meet monthly expenses. We also received a visit by two Heads of School sent by ISACS, our accrediting body, last October. Their report resulted in the approval of an extension to our accreditation renewal calendar by three years and they stated two simple conclusions: • We are a truly unique school that lives its mission with integrity and genuine value to enrolled students. The only area in need of more attention is to fully map our curriculum, a project undertaken and advanced by staff under Paul Pressler’s leadership. • Our marketing efforts to raise awareness of the school in local, regional and national markets is woefully deficient. Their recommendation to increase budgeting for admissions marketing to $90,000 stands in stark contrast to last year’s allocation of $30,000. We are still uncertain as to how we will fund this increase, as the current budget already stretches the School’s capacity to serve its college-prep mission and residential program. Significant spending is needed to grow high school enrollment using short- video production, website enrichments, and digital marketing through search optimization and ‘click-patterns’ that attract new individuals to our website. We have collected proposals from a few firms that do this work and are looking at where best to direct what funds we have for this work. Beyond meeting our current student obligations, we will make meeting this challenge a top priority for the year.
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Major Capital Improvements and Needs This year saw extensive restoration work on the kitchen floor and the shield wall to Berquist House. We also purchased a Toyota van for student transport to replace older vehicles.
Needs for the coming year include a truck with a full-sized bed, a backup power generator to allow well-use during power- outages, repainting exteriors to the Instruction and West Dorm buildings, and a project timeline that includes a funding plan for sprinkler installations in each dorm that also bundles in extensive bathroom renovations. We’ve concluded that at least preliminarily there will be no major capital investment needed to launch a middle school day program outside of alterations to our passenger vans to allow for bus service that is in line with state laws.
Outreach Outreach for the school this year by Mark and Jennie Schimdt-Quee, Jenn Jansen, Miranda Nielson, Ruth Hampton and me included the following: · Iowa City, West Branch, WB Friends Church FUM · Midyear Meeting at Bear Creek Meetinghouse · Alumni Gatherings in Chicago and Washington DC · Illinois Yearly Meeting gatherings (Winter, Spring, and Summer) · Northern Yearly Meeting · FGC in Grinnell (three events and two topical field trips to campus) · Chicago Friends School · Travel to five cities in China to investigate possible school partnerships · Arthur Morgan School · Richmond Friends School · Various school fairs, professional conferences, and individual schools · Iowa City Pride As one result of the outreach, high-school aged students from Illinois Yearly Meeting spent a spring weekend on Scattergood’s campus in retreat and interaction with Scattergood students and the Farm and learning directly from historian Michael Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 40
Luick-Thrams about the Scattergood Hostel Years. Also, 5th-7th grade students from Chicago Friends School made an overnight school trip to Scattergood’s campus and helped Mark Quee to set up an herb garden on the farm. I’m also happy to share three other recent developments. The first is that the documentary film company headed by Ken Burns has expressed interest in the Scattergood Hostel story as part of their film project on the U.S. response to the Holocaust. Secondly, after a Gazette feature story on the 80th anniversary of the Hostel, over 100 people attended a talk and slide show at Scattergood to learn from historian Michael Luick-Thrams about that time and its residents. Lastly, Scattergood and West Branch Friends Church joined with Yearly Meeting Friends Jeff Kisling and Peter Clay to invite Paula Palmer of Boulder Friends Meeting to give workshops as part of her Toward Right Relationships with Indigenous Peoples program. The school and Hickory Grove Meetinghouse stand on land which was taken from the Meskwaki by force, and we remain mindful of this and of the work ahead to build greater integrity with our relationships with our indigenous friends.
Concluding remarks We are all deeply thankful for the support of the Yearly Meeting, its Monthly Meetings, the School Foundation Trustees, and especially for the School Committee for their work and their unwavering support of our efforts.
Respectfully submitted, Thomas Weber, Head of School
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2019 Farm Report To IYMC Dear Friends,
In 2013 we took out of production some highly erosive land on the farm and in November 2015 the Advanced Biology class planted it into a forb-heavy prairie mix called Pollinator-Palooza. Four years in, it is now one of the highlights on the farm. This took patience and perhaps something parental. As Gillie was growing, I
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 41 remember thinking that every stage of her life was pretty great, though every subsequent stage was even greater. Sitting: great; crawling: greater; signing simple desires: even greater (fast forward through many wonderful stages); talking about life and Scattergood and the world: even greater. Similarly, each stage of the restored prairie seems wonderful, only to be outdone the next year. Year One: a lot of mowing, but no eroding--good enough. Year Two: less mowing plus a few blossoms—even better. Year Three (the yellow phase): much less mowing and many blossoms - great. Year Four: very little mowing and so much diversity in color and bloom times and textures—absolutely incredible. I consider the prairie as it is now and am awed. Here is what else was pretty great on the Scattergood Farm this past year. We began our farm experiences during student orientation, with Farm Fun Day, an afternoon of work, play, eating, and worship. In September we completed our second year of Farm Term, with all of the students spending their mornings at the Farm pursuing academic classes including Immigration and Agriculture, Enterprise Budgets, Soil, or Construction. The students learned, played, harvested, created goofy skits in Spanish, and ate a lot of pears, popcorn and watermelon. Nine students also signed up for Donkey PE class, in which we trained our donkeys to obey voice commands and led them around the Farm. In the spring, with grants from Friends Council on Education and the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, we offered a class on beekeeping and now have two hives refurbished and re-queened. The Farm continues to value relationships with others and has welcomed students from Willow Wind school in Iowa City as well as Taproot Nature Experience and Outdoor Adventures Camp. With the FGC Gathering happening in Grinnell this year, we supplied food to their co-op kitchen and presented on sustainability efforts at Scattergood. We are beginning a relationship with Prairie Farm Corps in Grayslake, IL. We continue to work closely with Practical Farmers of Iowa, providing childcare for their annual conference, administering two field trials, hosting their grazing workshop, and this coming September, we will host a field day featuring our prairie restoration work. Some of this work has been done with technical and financial assistance from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and a Luther College biology class has conducted Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 42 preliminary beetle population counts. We also continue to work with Field to Family, Iowa Farmer’s Union, Iowa Organic Association and others. This work is made possible by Ben Bowman, our livestock manager, Jenny George, our beekeeper and summer help, Dana Foster, Farm Term organizer, all of the teachers who seek opportunities to integrate the farm into their classes, the Farm Subcommittee of the School Committee and of course our cooks, Irving Treadway and Karen Huff who always find ways to make delicious what we grow. As many of you have witnessed the evolution of Scattergood and as we all bear witness to various changes happening all around us, let’s appreciate what is great and prepare for it to be even greater.
Respectfully Submitted, Mark Quee, Farm Manager
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We close our morning session to meet again this afternoon at 2pm.
Sixth Day – Friday p.m. – 7/26/19 2:00 pm worship moving into business.
We resume the business of Yearly Meeting”
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. Adapted from Martin Niemoller
George Bergus and Bob Yeats have been appointed readers this afternoon.
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We listened to the Yearly Meeting Trustees and the Scattergood Foundation reports and appreciate the committees' service on our behalf.
Yearly Meeting Trustees Report We appoint Richard Johnson and Lee Tesdell to continue to serve as Scattergood Foundation Trustees with terms ending in 2023. We have also approved a number of small revisions in the By- Laws of the Foundation. We request that these current bylaws be published in the 2019 Yearly Meeting Minutes so that they will be readily available for future reference. The activities of the Foundation Trustees are described in their annual report, attached to this report. There were no disbursements of Trustees funds during the past fiscal year, but this summer a number of maintenance needs on the meetinghouse have been tended to. Some bills for these have been paid this month, while some other projects are not yet completed but are expected to be finished in the next few weeks. We anticipate that our current balance and our budgeted funds will be more than sufficient to cover the cost of all these repairs and improvements, and that these disbursements will appear in next year’s financial report.
Trustees’ Financial Report 2019 Initial balance 07/01/18 $2,904.57 From Iowa Yearly Meeting (C) $1,556.30 Interest $7.06 Disbursements -0- Total disbursements -0- Bank balance 06/30/2019 $5,467.93 Total Funds Available 06/30/19 $5,467.93
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scattergood Friends School Foundation Trustees Report The Scattergood Foundation is charged with the stewardship of the school's growing endowment, currently valued at more than $5.4 million. Through a diversified portfolio of socially responsible investments, primarily stocks, bonds, cash, and farmland, the Foundation makes annual distributions to support the
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 44 school's mission. At present, approximately one quarter of the distributions supports capital improvements to the campus; one quarter supports the operations of the school, with the remaining half supporting scholarships to students. Funds are invested with a balanced approach to capital preservation and moderate growth. In calculating the annual disbursements to the school, the Foundation follows the instructions of donors as well as the Foundation’s own standard payout policy. During the 2018-19 school year, the Foundation distributed $111,950 to support tuition scholarship, as well as $105,500 toward capital improvements and the operation of the school. The Foundation has committed to new distributions for the 2019-20 academic year totaling $109,350 for scholarships, as well as $81,750 plus $26,450 for a total of $108,200 toward capital improvements and operations.
Assets Held by the Scattergood Friends School Foundation as of 6/30/2019: Westwood Trust #1 $2,023,601.48 Westwood Trust #2 $2,518,514.15 Westwood Capital A/C $625,789.76 Pemberton Farm (estimated value) $200,000 .00 Hills Bank checking $326,181.58
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We appreciated hearing the good report of our (yearly meeting) Scattergood School Committee. We are especially grateful for the ongoing faithfulness of this committee and will join them in loving the school into another year of existence.
School Committee Report to IYMC 2019 “There is no solution; seek it lovingly.” Socrates
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Another year has passed and we again find ourselves exhilarated, if exhausted. We are constantly amazed by the challenges and solutions that are experienced by the Scattergood community and the optimism that is present. Much time and energy was invested in Outreach this year. Thomas and Ruth organized and attended two regional Alumni
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 45 visits: one in the Washington D.C. area last October, and another in the Chicago area in April. The attendance at these gatherings has varied but alumni are happy to have the chance to visit in person, to hear about the school, and to talk about ways to keep alumni connected. We continue to search for an organizer to help create an Alumni Association---those who hear about it are excited by the concept, but a core group is needed to launch this good idea. We continue to build relationships with Northern Yearly Meeting and Illinois Yearly Meeting with a focus on young constituents and Chicago area Friends. This fall we will welcome Illinois Yearly Meeting member Alex Lippet of Oak Park as a new member to the School Committee. He is excited about growing the awareness of Scattergood within the Chicago Friends community. Scattergood has a scheduled maintenance checklist, but there are also the unscheduled immediate needs that arise. This winter the kitchen floor unexpectedly required replacement and a new floor was installed. The school has begun collecting bids for a new roof on the Main Building, and drilling a new well with a backup generator system are immediate future needs. Although there are other long-term maintenance issues that must be addressed, the school continues to keep the buildings and campus safe and functioning. The State of Iowa has offered a six-year extension on the requirement of a sprinkler system for one dorm and a ten-year extension for the other dorm, with an initial cost estimate of around $366,000. A project of this magnitude will require dedicated funding, so we are considering incorporating numerous projects into a campaign to overhaul the dorms which would include the sprinkler system and remodeling the bathrooms and showers to address both ventilation issues and our increased gender diversity. We were informed last fall that plans are underway to add lanes to Interstate 80 within the next five years. This expansion warrants thoughtful consideration about how it will affect the campus. The bridge will be expanded or replaced, and the increased traffic volume may necessitate that a new wall be built on our southern border. Thomas has been in communication with the Department of Transportation. The Yearly Meeting Trustees may also want to be a part of the conversation to help identify our needs. It was disappointing to hear the news that Grinnell College stepped back from the offer to fund a Gap/5th Year program. There Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 46 is great need for this kind of opportunity, and we are considering a search for grants. The Middle School initiative is still receiving attention, energy, and investment but progress is moving at a slower pace to ensure that the plans are well seasoned. Last summer we approached the Yearly Meeting to introduce the idea of incurring debt to fund the aforementioned initiatives that could help expand our enrollment base. However, since these plans are not fully underway, we were not able to acquire a loan for this year. The good news is that we had healthy Annual Fund contributions thanks to the help of many donors including a matching-fund bike ride across the country. This, along with a generous one-time donation, staff attrition, and the daily diligent efforts of staff to reduce costs, allowed the school to end the year with a reasonable cash flow situation and, surprisingly, a nearly balanced budget. We greatly appreciate the careful stewardship of our financial resources by Thomas and the business office. In the upcoming year we will again increase funding for and focus on Admissions and Outreach. We are excited to have two strong new directors in both Admissions and Development with experience in marketing and communications. The school continues to feel the debilitating strains of low enrollment. We hold this reality with care and discernment. It is clear that increasing the student body and tuition income is imperative to the continuation of the life of Scattergood. Year by year, we carefully tend all the questions that are involved. In life at Scattergood there are daily grass fires to extinguish: fixing broken toilets, meeting with legislators, ordering refrigeration components, and 2:00 a.m. runs to the emergency room. At times it is easy to conclude that all of this is just a crazy venture. But every day also brings moments of joy, learning, and understanding, and both the joys and the struggles are filled with Divine Spirit and personal growth. Every year that the school remains open is a success as we accompany another group of young people to become more of themselves, to find their own voices, to be excited by learning, and to be present in this world as they carry with them the essence of Quaker spirit. Every single year matters. So we strive to continue on, one year at a time, as many years as we can, to serve this radiant mission of Love with what faithfulness we can muster. We’re going to love this school into another year of existence. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 47
On behalf of the School Committee, Ruth Hampton, clerk
Scattergood Budget
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We thank the auditors for going over our books. We are always grateful for the work of our yearly meeting treasurer and thank her for this excellent report. Concerns regarding the expense line items for AFSC delegate expenses, Youth Camps and FGC donations were expressed and we noted that the people who set our budget for us are our Yearly Meeting Representatives.
Audit Committee Report - 07/25/2019 We have today examined the Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Treasurer's financial records for the 2018 - 19 fiscal year, and we find them in good order. We thank the treasurer, Rebecca Bergus, for keeping clear and complete records and for providing us with full access to them. We also thank the treasurer for preparing reports for our annual session. - Carol Gilbert and Carole Winkleblack
Yearly Meeting Treasurer’s Report Fiscal Year Ending June 30 2019 INCOME Budget Actual Monthly Meeting Apportionments $72,300.00 $72,800.00 Excess Midyear Meeting Funds $0.00 $605.26 Total Income $72,300.00 $73,413.26 EXPENSES Contributions American Friends Service Committee $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Friends Committee on National $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Legislation Friends General Conference $200.00 $200.00 Friends World Committee for $700.00 $700.00 Consultation Iowa Peace Network $100.00 $100.00 Nebraskans for Peace $400.00 $400.00 Friends Peace Teams $500.00 $500.00 National Religious Campaign $100.00 $100.00 Against Torture Pendle Hill $500.00 $500.00 Peace and Social Concerns $1,100.00 $1,100.00 Committee Quaker Earthcare Witness $300.00 $300.00 Quaker United Nations Office $200.00 $200.00 Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 49
Right Sharing of World Resources $400.00 $400.00 Scattergood Friends School $54,000.00 $54,000.00 Scattergood Facilities $2,000.00 $2,000.00 William Penn House $300.00 $300.00 TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS $62,800.00 $62,800.00
Delegate Expenses FCNL $1,200.00 $1,200.00 Friends Peace Teams $600.00 $604.31 FWCC - General $1,200.00 $0.00 Quaker Earthcare Witness $1,200.00 $0.00 Conservative Yearly Meeting $1,200.00 $0.00 Visitation Total Delegate Expenses $5,400.00 $1,804.31 Yearly Meeting Expenses Archives Committee $200.00 $0.00 Clerk's and Other Adm. Expenses $400.00 $112.23 Committee Expenses (Other) $300.00 $300.00 Conscientious Objector PSC $100.00 $0.00 Subcommittee Friends Travel & Conference $3,000.00 $700.00 Iowa Yearly Meeting Trustees $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Junior Yearly Meeting $1,500.00 $1,260.47 Junior Midyear Meeting $217.73 Pendle Hill Scholarship Match $400.00 $0.00 Publication Committee $3,500.00 $2,996.30 Website Committee $450.00 $15.99 Quaker Youth Camp Scholarship $500.00 $0.00 Special Needs Committee $750.00 $78.06 Young Adult Friends $300.00 $0.00 Young Friends $1,500.00 $1,373.88 Midyear Planning Committee if $500.00 receipts inadequate* Clerk's Contingency Fund $1,000.00 $0.00 Transfer to Reserve Fund $1,000.00 $0.00 Total Yearly Meeting Expenses $16,400.00 $8,054.66
TOTAL EXPENSES $84,600.00 $72,658.97
(Treasurer’s Report continued)
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Available Funds
Bank Balance July 1, 2018 $17,341.43 Income July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 $73,413.26
Expenses July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 ($72,658.97) June 30, 2019 $18,095.72 Cash Reserve Fund ($6,000.00) Surplus Funds Available for 2019-2020 Budget $12,095.72
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We appreciated hearing the informative report about Friends Peace Teams.
IYMC Representative to Friends Peace Teams Advisory Council In May our IYMC representative met with Friends Peace Teams Advisory Council face-to-face near Philadelphia. Council also meets monthly by Zoom call. It is composed of representatives from 16 yearly meetings from the US and Australia. As good Friends, we have committees to get the bulk of our work done. These include committees for Finance, Communications, Fundraising, Governance, and Personnel. Your representative, Jay Robinson, serves on Fundraising Committee, which has been gearing up its efforts recently. Friends Peace Teams, or "FPT" has been around since 1993. See friendspeaceteams.org online, for a history timeline and further information on the group's structure. Today FPT works with partners in 15 countries across three initiatives. African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI), is in six countries, since 1999. Peacebuilding en las Americas (PLA) is in four countries, since 2002. Asia West Pacific (AWP) is in five countries, since 2005. In addition, in just the past year there has been added the Peace Ministries Committee, to nurture Friends volunteers anywhere in peacemaking, and to float new ideas for initiatives. AGLI has responsibility for activities across the six Great Lakes countries (where half of Quakers live, worldwide) this includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda currently, with possible outreach also to Congo and Tanzania. There are many projects and
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 51 partners, but here it serves to look at Rwanda, for example. Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC), since 2003 has been "to promote healing and reconciliation amongst communities that experienced brutal violence and genocide." In 2012 a HROC Center was established, to manage workshops and school-visits. Children's Peace Libraries (CPL) have been established to promote a culture of reading and to foster peace and nonviolence. In 2008 Rwanda switched from French to English, as its official language, so there became a huge learning gap and a need for books in English, which the CPL's help to provide. Peacemaking en Las Americas (PLA) has responsibility for activities across all of Latin America, where it has fostered Alternatives to Violence (AVP) workshops with many local partners. Currently PLA is active in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Ecuador. PLA's longest running program is AVP in Colombia, reaching 2500 participants in 300 workshops from 2006- 2016. At the spiritual heart of the recent Council F2F was the presentation by two Franciscan sisters about their use of AVP in Colombia. When asked about the influence of FPT, they said that it was their inspiration for teaching AVP, as well as providing the practical "toolkit" for instruction. They work across Colombia, teaching AVP workshops in five regions, as initiated by FPT. It was a heartfelt testimony. Asia West Pacific (AWP) has responsibility for activities across the Asia and West Pacific regions, as a joint US/Australian effort. AWP is presently active in five countries: Aoteoroa New Zealand, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, and the Philippines, as well as working in the north Caucasus and Ukraine regions. Indonesia is a good example of their work. AWP entered in 2005 after the historic tsunami in Aceh. They employed AVP, but also initiated "the power of visiting" - being present, sitting down and listening. The coordinator told the story at F2F about her encounter with a powerful Imam, who wasn't paying attention until she used the Arabic word for "visiting." Then they got on with talking, eventually extending the FPT peace message through to the 15,000 people in his charge. Peace Ministries Committee is a new effort. It helps direct volunteers from meetings all over, into FPT activities. It is thus a direct link to local meetings, and a resource for them. They also take on new projects in embryonic form, that might grow (or not) to full- Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 52 fledged initiatives of FPT, as noted above. One such example is recently working with the ministry for Right Relationship with Native Americans. That ministry has grown beyond the capability of its founding local meeting, such that it initiated contact with FPT and has recently now come under care of Peace Ministries Committee. In sum, FPT is very active, across three initiatives and one general ministry committee. It is taking volunteers. It is accepting contributions, including regular donations from Friends, their monthly meetings, and their yearly meetings. See the website for more information, and to sign-up to get Peace Ways, the very good FPT newsletter.
Respectfully submitted, Jay Robinson IYMC Representative to Friends Peace Teams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Social Concerns Report Part One We approved the following minute and request the Yearly Meeting clerk to send personal greetings honoring Chuck Day to this celebration on behalf of the Yearly Meeting.
Minute: Des Moines Valley Friend, Chuck Day, will be honored for his 40 years of service to the peace community by founding and leading STAR-PAC (Stop the Arms Race), Saturday August 3, 2019, 5:30 -8:00 pm. featuring Senator Tom Harkin. STAR✦PAC was founded in 1980 in Des Moines. STAR✦PAC is a dedicated political action committee advocating on behalf of peace issues. Established at the peak of the Cold War, amid a perilous and costly nuclear weapons race; STAR✦PAC continues advocacy against the arms race and exorbitant military spending and tackles many other foreign and military policy issues. Chuck was also instrumental in the development of two housing projects in Des Moines, built for easier access for people with physical disabilities. We appreciate Chuck’s years of peace leadership and service. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clerk: We now adjourn to meet again Seventh Day at 9:30 am.
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Seventh Day Saturday a.m. - 07/27/2019 Meeting for Worship moving into Meeting for Business We return to the business of Yearly Meeting.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. John 14: 15-20
Angelica Schafer and John Shafer have been appointed readers this morning.”
Minute for Sixth Day Activities As we move into the later days of our yearly meeting, one could find IYMC committees working steadily in every nook and cranny to finalize and present their work.
Friends young and old still found time to play and engage in the "business" of enjoying being together in the beautiful weather.
Lucy Marsh opened our evening collection. Accompanied by Spirit, she sang a setting of an autumnal haiku she wrote about the transition into the darker time of year. Lucy used song and story to tell how Spirit accompanied her through her own darkest times. Stepping into the river, the river carried her, and along the way, she discovered that she was more whole in being present to her brokenness, grief and sorrow than she was in her "okay-ness". She shared that like a seed pod breaking open, when we make space for anger so it doesn't become destructive, we discover the strength it offers us. In bearing witness to her vulnerability, Lucy deeply touched and inspired Friends.
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Dear Junior Yearly Meeting: Thank you Asher, Liam and Lucy for such a wonderful letter to us. It was delightful and informative. We hope to be able to write epistles as good as yours. And thank you to everyone who helped you have such a fun week on this part of your journey.
Junior Yearly Meeting Epistle July 27, 2019
Dear Friends everywhere, Hello from Junior Yearly Meeting of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), meeting at Scattergood Friends School! We have been doing a lot of things together. Every morning we went to meeting for worship and then checked on Ned, the donkey. We fed apple cores and grass to Ned and checked on his sore eye. He would come trotting over whenever he saw us coming, even when we didn’t have treats. We made crafts out of recycling, including boats that we floated on the pond. We jumped and ran on the hay bales at the farm and played Capture the Flag with Young Friends. Water balloons were a blast. It was fun making giant explosions of water and having the water spray in our faces. We listened to a story about how we are born with Light within us. We each had a candle to show that. We were missing Lucy and her light because she wasn’t there that morning, but just as we were thinking that, she walked in! We listened to the story again so we could see her candle lit. Some of us lived in the dorms with our families, all of us in one room. That was interesting! We are looking forward to coming back to yearly meeting next year.
In friendship, Asher, Liam and Lucy
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Listening to the epistles from Young Friends was a moving experience and sparked a personal exchange between Friends of all ages. Giving Voice gives us courage for the future and might be THE
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 55 thing we take back from this Yearly Meeting to share with our monthly meetings and with Friends everywhere. Your epistle challenged us, and we will join you, Young Friends, in trying to bridge those divides by working to make friends from a more diverse group of people, to not "write people off", and to learn to listen more deeply to those who don't share our opinions.
Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative Young Friends Epistle
Dear Friends Everywhere, The Young Friends gathered again for Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative annual sessions at Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, Iowa. It was a fun, exiting, and tiring week. Many memories were made as we spent the week together in friendship, worship, and the occasional pillow fight. We started the week talking about the theme of this year’s annual sessions, Accompaniment and Giving Voice, and wrote an epistle to the greater Yearly Meeting expressing our concerns and hopes with the world from our perspective as young people. We also went swimming at the Scattergood Pond that same afternoon. Our plastic swan friends from last year were still present, so we temporarily removed their heads once again. We also gave them nicknames, Bill and Billie Eyelash. That evening we played Capture the Flag with Junior Yearly Meeting and IYMC staff members, which was a blast. On Fifth Day, we started the day with a walk to the Scattergood Prairie with our F/friend, Bill Deutsch. Then came our annual out trip. Due to heavy rains and flooding in Iowa earlier in the year, we were unable to take our canoe trip on a river like we usually do, so we went to Terry Trueblood Recreation Area for canoeing and kayaking on Sand Lake instead. Afterwards, we stopped in Iowa City for ice cream. We would like to specifically mention how delicious this stop was. We finished the day with a movie night with JYM, complete with popcorn. On Sixth Day, we went to Scattergood Farm for our annual service project. We had a great time helping harvest potatoes and picking a variety of flowers and prairie plants to make bouquets for the cafeteria that could be enjoyed by everyone. In the evening we
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 56 had a “pondfire” where we made s’mores by the Scattergood Pond, after another swim of course. We roasted marshmallows for Bill and Billie Eyelash, but they didn’t want them, so we ate them instead. On our last day, we finally finished the puzzle we had been working on all week. In the afternoon, we went to the Tipton Swimming Pool with JYM. We had a lot of fun there, although we were sad that our swan friends were not with us. We also went to Dairy Queen and ate even more ice cream, with few regrets. We wrapped up the week emceeing the IYMC Talent Show. It was a blessed week, and we are excited to meet again next year!
In Friendship, Rhyla, Chris, David, Gillie, Thomas, Bill, and Billie IYMC Young Friends 2019
Giving Voice Dear Friends of Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative and beyond, We began our Young Friends program talking about the theme of this year’s annual sessions, Accompaniment and Giving Voice. In the spirit of this theme, we have decided to “give voice” ourselves, and share more deeply with the greater Yearly Meeting through an epistle expressing our perspective as Young Friends. We spent almost an hour and a half in a worshipful discussion on Fourth Day morning, sharing deeply about our concerns for the world, what gives us hope, and what it means to accompany someone. Accompaniment is, to us, a type of listening, and being there for those in need of care. We shared who we feel compelled to accompany, including racial and religious minorities, refugees, undocumented immigrants, victims of sexual assault and child abuse, people who choose to get abortions, LGBTQ people, and even people who may share different beliefs than us. We noted that it is still possible to listen and accompany people, while actively disagreeing with what they believe. We spoke about many of our concerns with the modern world. The two that we kept returning to throughout the discussion were polarization in our society, and our clear concern on the changing climate and how it will affect our lives. We see the polarization in our society furthering a pattern of not listening to one
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 57 another and encouraging a culture of hatred. We noted that by listening, we can often understand the struggles behind an opinion with which we disagree. We are also very concerned with the changing climate, and the displacement of people and wildlife that comes consequently. We recognize that a lot of the issues we care about are related to the environment, and that there will be an increase in poverty and war worldwide if we don’t actively try and reverse climate change. We also have a lot of hope for the future. We understand that we are living in an age of technological advancement, and while there are some negatives to this, we also see a lot of hope in what that might bring. We see that technology can be used as a tool to share ideas, connect with people across the globe, and find helpful information. We see that more medical advancements can be made, and that innovations could improve access to food, clean water, and quality of life for many worldwide. We find hope, often with the help of the internet and social media, in seeing people speaking their truth to power all over the world. This includes people speaking out for women’s rights, resisting ICE raids, being stewards to our planet, and our fellow young people leading the movement on gun reform. We appreciate the space IYMC gives us, to accompany and give our own voice.
Love and Light to all, IYMC Young Friends 2019
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Social Concerns Part Two We approved the following minute brought forward by our Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
Death Penalty Minute Friends have historically opposed capital punishment because it violates the sacredness of life. That violation goes beyond criminals who are sentenced to die. The death penalty also brutalizes and degrades the society which imposes it. Revenge taken against a few individuals will not cure the epidemic of violence in our world; we need to solve the problem instead of adding to it. Rather than answer violence with more violence, we need to find practical ways
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 58 to counteract the anger, fear, despair, and brokenness that are the root cause of crime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While individually we might not each be in unity with every statement in this report, we are moved by its prophetic nature. We are inspired by the Martin Luther King's vision of the Beloved Community that calls to hospitality beyond division and reminds us we are all one family.
We note there is not direct mention of the issue of class in this report, and wrestle with the implications of that. We thank the committee for their good work.
Peace and Social Concerns Report 2019 Quakers abhor all war. Congress needs to reclaim from the Executive branch its power to declare war. Representative Barbara Lee successfully offered and passed an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act that would repeal the 2001 AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force). Designed to take effect after eight months, the Congress would need to pass a new AUMF or the Administration would need to remove American military personnel from current wars and conflicts during that timeframe. We thank the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and their Advocacy Teams for their work on this issue. We recognize that Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) exists in the United States’ wider secular world, where transformation into a peaceful, harmonious society without violence is unlikely to occur in the near future. We acknowledge the ongoing creative tension between working to end the occasion of all war and working to reduce harm through meaningful, achievable goals. To this day we have not come to grips with fundamental injustices our country was built on, the cultural genocide and theft of land from Native Americans, the enslavement of African Americans and the legal justifications of bestowing rights and privileges on white land-owning men. The consequences of these injustices continue to plague our society today. And they will continue to impact us until we do what is necessary to bring these injustices to light and find ways to heal these wounds.
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Several Friends recently assisted Boulder Meeting Friend, Paula Palmer, to lead workshops and discussions as part of her ministry “toward right relationships with Native people.” Part of the tragedy of the theft of Native land is that some Native people don’t have the concept of land as property, belonging to a landowner. Rather they have a spiritual connection to Mother Earth, that the land is sacred and not something that can be claimed as property by anyone. Being forced to leave their land broke their spiritual bonds with the land. Native people have asked us to begin work toward reconciliation and healing. The first step needed is truth telling, recognizing that injury or harm has taken place. One of the important parts of holding “right relationship” workshops is to determine which Native nations were on the land before white settlers arrived. The following Land Acknowledgement for Iowa was approved by the Meskwaki Nation. We encourage Friends to read this acknowledgement statement when meetings take place on the land called Iowa.
IOWA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT We begin by acknowledging that the Land between Two Rivers, where we sit and stand today, has been the traditional homeland for many independent nations. These include the Ioway and the Otoe, who were here since before recorded time. The Omaha and the Ponca were here, moving to new lands before white settlers arrived. The Pawnee used this land for hunting grounds. The Sioux, Sauk and Meskwaki were here long before European settlers came. Members of many different Indigenous nations have lived on these plains. Let us remember that we occupy their homeland and that this land was taken by force. Today, only the Meskwaki Nation, the Red Earth People, maintain their sovereignty on their land in the state of Iowa. They persevered and refused to be dispossessed of their home. Place names all over our state recognize famous Meskwaki chiefs of the 1800s like Poweshiek, Wapello, Appanoose, and Taiomah or Tama. We honor the Meskwaki Nation for their courage, and for maintaining their language, culture and spirituality. May our time together bring respectful new openings for right relationship to grow. Part of the healing needed relates to the forced assimilation that was attempted, and often time occurred, by kidnapping Native Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 60 children and taking them to Indian boarding schools. This was the topic of Paula’s presentation at Scattergood Friends School and Farm. Some may question why this needs to be discussed today. The reason is for the truth telling, and to name how whiteness historically ignores the multigenerational trauma imposed upon indigenous people. Healing begins when truth telling begins. Multi- generational trauma affects Native people today. One Friend shared with a Native friend that he knew about the Quaker Indian Boarding Schools, and he was sorry for what happened. His friend then told about a phone call from his mother when he was at Standing Rock. She was very distraught because she recognized the rope used to tow a boat across a narrow channel of water, and it reminded her of the Indians using a similar boat and tow rope to help the Native children escape when white men came to take them to boarding schools. Some Friends have been working to support the concept of an indigenous led Green New Deal. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI) is supporting the youth organization, the Sunrise Movement, that has been successful in moving toward a Green New Deal. In dark times it is easy to feel discouraged and helpless. Sometimes it helps to step back to get a different perspective. The following statement was printed, but not approved, as a Minute in the 2006 Minutes of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative): There once was a frame of reference in this country that said, “Slavery is a reality. The best we can do is hope to regulate it and work for the just treatment of slaves.” John Woolman stepped out of that frame of reference and said, “Slavery is wrong.” His vision was to end slavery. Today there is a frame of reference in this country that says, “Illegal immigration is a reality. The best we can do is regulate immigration. We step out of that frame of reference to say, “All are worthy of a decent life.” Our vision is the recognition of migration as a human right.” (We thank the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for their years of work on behalf of migrant people.) This statement provoked us to consider how we might express such visionary statements today. Some examples of how that might look follow. There once was a frame of reference in this country that said:
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“Systemic racism is a reality. The best we can do is make people aware of this racism.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “Racism is wrong.” We believe this vision will help create the Beloved Community Martin Luther King, Jr, spoke of. All of these visions contribute to that possibility. “Theft of Native land is a reality. The best we can do is help Native people, especially children, assimilate into white culture.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “The theft of Native land and culture is wrong.” We believe this vision will lead to reconciliation, healing and lifting up Native culture. “War is a reality. The best we can do is limit conflict.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “War is never the answer.” We believe this vision will lead to world peace. “Those who do wrong must be incarcerated.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “Abolish prisons.” We believe this vision can rehabilitate prisoners so they can re-enter their communities. “Some people must die for their crimes.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “No one should be put to death.” We believe this vision will end this inhumane practice. “Fossil fuel use is necessary for our economy and transportation”. We want to step out of that frame and say, “Use of fossil fuels must end now.” We believe this vision can temper the environmental catastrophe we are moving more deeply into. “Borders are a reality.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “Borders are wrong.” We believe this vision will lead open borders which is becoming increasingly important as millions more become climate refugees. “Health, including mental health, is available to those who can pay.” We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “Health, including mental health, is a human right.” We believe this vision will heal us. “Violence against and sexual trafficking of women and children are a reality. The best we can do is incarcerate the perpetrators”. We want to step out of that frame of reference and say, “Women and children have a right to be free and safe, always and everywhere.” We believe this vision will help us all feel safe and protected. We are joyful knowing the Spirit’s guidance will show us how to attain these visions. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 62
“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.” Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” 1956
On behalf of the committee, Jeff Kisling, clerk
Peace and Social concerns Budget 2019
Alternatives to Violence Project (split evenly between Iowa, Nebraska, & South Dakota) 150 AFSC Midwest Region (for immigration) 100 Frontera de Cristo (Migrant Resource Center) 50 Friends Peace Teams (Peacemaking en las Americas) 50 Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty 50 Missourians for Alternatives for the Death Penalty 50 Iowans Against the Death Penalty 50 Friends for a Nonviolent World 100 Monteverde Friends School 100 Seeding Sovereignty 50 Star Pac 50 Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom 50 Poor People’s Campaign 50 Bold Iowa 50 Lakota People’s Law Project 50 Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI) 50 Quaker Voluntary Service 50 TOTAL $1,100
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We thank the Ministry and Counsel Committee for their faithful care for the spiritual life of our yearly meeting. We approve having the Yearly Meeting clerk endorse a travel minute for Deborah Fisch.
IYM(C) Ministry & Counsel Report 2019 The Ministry and Counsel Committee of IYM(C) met daily, Third through Seventh Days during these Annual Sessions. Representatives from all monthly meetings were present for the first time in several years. We have appreciated being together. M&C met in retreat in late fall and were blessed by the presence of Quaker healer John Calvi. We listened with care to the State of the Meeting reports. We note that several meetings report an increase in attendance. The reports are upbeat. We return these reports to the Yearly Meeting clerk with the recommendation that, time permitting, they be read during these Annual Sessions, so that all may share the hope and joy they reflect. We received Deborah Fisch’s report of her work in the ministry with Broken Vessels Quaker Ministries. Deborah also reported that she was invited to join the FWCC Section of the Americas Traveling Ministries Corp. We recommend Yearly Meeting approve the clerk endorsing a travel minute for Deborah for the next year and ask that Deborah report back to the YM M&C next year. At the request of the Website Committee we reviewed a proposed description of IYMC for the home page of the IYMC website. We approve the proposed draft with a few additions and changes. We appreciate the work of that subcommittee. The M&C clerk will share this decision and the proposed changes with the Web committee. Our draft document, Guidelines for the Protection of Children at Yearly Meeting Sessions and Functions, was distributed last year for consideration. We have received comments from a few meetings. We ask that all meetings consider the document in the coming year and send any questions, concern, or feedback to the M&C clerk, so an amended document can be brought to the 2020 annual session for consideration.
Report of the IYM(C) Ministry and Counsel Committee
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State of the Meeting Reports
Ames Friends Meeting Ames Meeting thrives. Although small, attendance is substantial and growing, with new attenders. Individuals give time and energy to nurturing our spiritual life as well as the upkeep of our lovely building and grounds. While family and work responsibilities lie heavy on some of us, we all hold these individuals in love and are especially appreciative of their continuing service to the meeting. Our committee structure is more vital than in years past. After going for several years without a functioning Ministry & Counsel committee, we have revitalized this committee. We again held a fall open house, welcoming neighbors, Ames newcomers, and seekers to learn about us and about Quakers. An Experiment with Light group meets monthly. Experiment with Light is a meditation practice developed in Britain Yearly Meeting and based on early Quaker experiences. Social actions arise from our spiritual center. We have invested in solar energy, sponsored a DACA student’s attendance at FCNL’s Spring Lobby Weekend, and participated in coalitions addressing immigration, refugees, and climate. Members and attenders serve on AFSC, FCNL and Scattergood committees. A number of us face health problems, some being critically aware of their mortality. We hold them in the Light and offer them support and comfort in whatever ways we can. We are grateful for their enormous gifts of grace, love, humor and wisdom. The question of offering meetinghouse space for possible use as sanctuary for undocumented immigrants has tested our love and patience. We would like to make a substantial commitment in support of immigrant communities; but we acknowledge that as a meeting we don’t know what this commitment may entail. The sense of the meeting is to: (1) draft a strong public letter of support, and (2) reach out to local immigrant communities and other faith groups to identify needs that we are able to address. One member points out that a strong letter of public support, in the absence of willingness to offer sanctuary or any other particular, concrete measures of support, is inherently not strong support. Individuals
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 65 maintain strong leadings in different directions on sanctuary and our meetinghouse. Ames Friends are grateful for the structure and support we find in Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) and other elements of the larger Quaker experiment.
Bear Creek Meeting Our meeting is different than other aspects of our experiences during the week. We find it is nurturing to our spirits to come together for worship. Our rural surroundings are a comfort. The passing of loved ones of Meeting members has drawn us yet closer together, and the support of the Meeting was undoubtedly keenly appreciated by those most directly affected. The number of members and attenders who are able to come together in our meetinghouse, now nearly 120 years old, is sometimes small. Early in the year we honored a cherished member on her 100th birthday. Our circle has widened, as we welcomed several new members affiliated with Laughing Waters Preparative Meeting. We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our community as spiritual seekers together. It is heartening to see how Laughing Waters Meeting is evolving, and we appreciate their work to build on the minute on racial justice approved by the Yearly Meeting several years ago. More effort has been made to draw distant Friends together for important communication and discussion by use of new technologies available to many, such as websites, blogs, phone conferencing, and Zoom. This is done with the realization that such advantages cannot supplant the premier value of face-to-face sharing of ideas and feelings, or written heart-felt postal notes, whenever possible. It is apparent that this spiritual “home space” is very meaningful to a much wider group of Friends and others, both in the surrounding community and those from farther away – particularly at Midyear Meeting time or when family reunions take place there. It also has served as a community gathering point for wedding and funeral receptions of non-Meeting members, and the associated Cottage has served some travelers as a “hostel.” It is important that our meetinghouse can remain as a treasured meeting place well into the future and for generations to come. However, we also
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 66 acknowledge that we each carry the spirit of our Meeting no matter where we may find ourselves.
Laughing Waters Preparative Meeting (under the care of Bear Creek Meeting) Laughing Waters feels Spirit moving among us as we corporately live into a greater measure of our Light. We appreciate the presence of new members who have brought new perspectives and their own rich experiences among Friends. We feel woven together in joys and trials. Our regular meetings for worship, meetings for worship with attention to business, monthly query responses and potlucks contribute to our sense of connection. We are grateful for our active Clerks’ Team and Ministry and Counsel Committee. These structures have created a container through which Spirit has worked among us. We feel a sense of healing from past struggles. Together we have taken up work exploring what it means to be a welcoming and affirming meeting, as it relates to the Clarity Movement and the full inclusion of people from the LGBTQ+ community. There may be ways that we can share this with the Yearly Meeting. We have also minuted our intention to look into our living understanding of Quaker heritage and history concerning race and racism. We are grateful for ongoing support from Bear Creek Friends and the Yearly Meeting and we look forward to our ongoing journey together.
Decorah Friends Meeting Our life is love and peace and tenderness, and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another and not laying accusations against another; but praying one for another and helping one another up with a tender hand. The words of Isaac Pennington speaks to the condition of Decorah Friends Meeting as we seek to live lives individually and corporately that minister to the needs of our fellowship, and to the needs of our community and world. Our spiritual life remains centered in a weekly hour of mostly quiet waiting worship, usually between four and fifteen people participating. Many find gathering in this way to be a reminder of how we are part of something bigger, and most find this as a grounding for the week ahead. We appreciate our common
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 67 values and practices as well as our differing beliefs; this discipline of quiet centering and opening connects us. We do many activities which strengthen our uniquely Decorah Quaker community: natural egg dyeing for the time known as Easter, singing on a mostly weekly basis previous to First Day discussions, gathering for New Year’s Eve transitions, and celebrating annual individual journeys around the sun. We find great joy in an annual winter birthday celebration at the home of our oldest member. He is hoping we will consider half birthday observances. Some of our spiritual life shows up locally in outward ways: in our witness on immigration, on gun violence, on farming, actions about the environment and climate change, on Palestine issues, on LGBTQ and racial justice issues, and by our participation in a quarterly religion page column to our local newspaper. A good measure of our spiritual focus was also directed toward helping one another up with a tender hand, as we have dealt with significant changes in health for several of our attenders. We continue to be appreciative for opportunities to serve one another. We feel some sadness for not having stronger connection with Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) – distance and busy lives interfere. We long for connections with a broader Quaker community, and appreciate the inter-visitation gatherings that happen four or more times a year, with other Friends in the Driftless region of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin.
Des Moines Valley Friends We seek to be faithful and attentive to the Spirit as we support each other and care for our meeting and for our members and attenders. We are thankful for the opportunity to worship together and to find community in our faith and practice. “To everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and over the past year our meeting has experienced the changing seasons in many ways. A number of active members/attenders are dealing with serious health problems, the challenges of aging and/or deaths within their families. Several families have left our meeting due to moves from the area or the decision that Meeting was no longer meeting their needs. New individuals and families with young children have begun worshipping with us recently. We mourned the Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 68 deaths of adult children of members, former attenders and friends of our meeting. These losses weigh heavily on our hearts and we continue to seek ways to be of comfort to their families and each other. Some of our committees have been less active than in the past, due to the loss of key members. However, our meeting has been blessed this year by beginning to become involved in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) led in Iowa by Cheryl Sutton and Stan Sanders of Bear Creek Meeting. At their request and after much discernment, DMVF formed a support committee for their AVP work and several in Meeting have participated in AVP trainings and workshops at the Newton Correctional Facility. Some of our members are now workshop leaders. We continue to hold Second Hours after worship to nurture our spiritual well-being. They are generally well attended and have included: monthly query discussions, meeting for worship with attention to business, committee meetings, presentations and socializing over soup lunches. Topics have included Meeting finances and budget issues, FCNL, sanctuary and immigration, AFSC, climate change, Scattergood Friends School and Farm, and AVP. On third Sundays, we get together to sing before meeting for worship. Our meeting is reaching out in new ways. Thanks to the volunteer work of several members, we now have a Facebook page (if you want to join, email Jan at [email protected] and a website that has already brought us interest and visits for Meeting for Worship. With the help of an ad hoc committee on finances, we have been reassessing our processes for setting budgets and our annual budget obligations. The committee sponsored two Second Hours to share information. The process is ongoing, and the ad hoc committee plans to bring several recommendations to Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business for approval. We recognize that many meetings and churches are dealing with similar issues, and that the concerns of stewardship of our resources are spiritual as well as practical.
Iowa City Meeting Our meeting continues to attract new attenders, some who visit a few times, and some who continue to worship with us. Our meeting had a new baby born this year, and we had special Welcome Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 69
Baby celebration in the fall which was attended by the baby’s grandparents and other visitors. Our regular clerk and their partner served as volunteers at FCNL in Washington, DC for two months this winter. Our co-clerks served as clerk during their absence. We are happy Friends from our meeting could serve in this capacity. Our meetinghouse continues to age, and this year we had to replace the entire roof after winter, requiring a special request for funding. We have many more projects we would like to do as funding permits, such as improve our education area. We continue to read one query each month during meeting for worship on First Day when we have potluck and give time for responses. The responses are noted by Ministry and Council members and notes are sent out with newsletters. This year we had lively discussions about the role of parents in a child’s religious education and how each of us got to this point and place (our Quaker meeting). Our most successful outreach event of this year was having a table at Iowa City’s large Pride Festival. We had a place for people to exchange affirmative messages on sticky notes. Messages were written by people of all ages and in multiple languages. We are reminded that being a Quaker is hard work. No one tells us what to think or believe; we each must come to a sense of what is right for us to believe and how to live, both personally and as we interact with others. Sharing our experiences of faith or our struggles is one way we can help others learn, but not everyone will be comfortable sharing.
Lincoln Friends Meeting Last year we reported that we were “strong and vibrant.” It is even more true this year. Our attendance has grown by nearly 50%. It started with folks who attended AVP workshops in the meetinghouse and chose to worship with us. They invited their friends. Many have found a spiritual home with us. Much gratitude is expressed for this time and space. Meeting for Worship has special value in this time of peril, when we are troubled by what is going on in the world. It is important to have regular contact with people who share our values of justice, compassion, and equality. We welcomed one attender into membership.
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We used to bemoan that we were an aging community. When attenders at our recent annual meeting arranged themselves by age decade, we saw an even distribution from under-40 through 80 (we have as many attenders under 60 as over 60!) A family with children has begun to attend. Along with this growth in numbers we are more diverse. Our query considerations are richer with more points of view. Our peace and social concerns work remains strong. We provide an opportunity for attenders to re-balance and find peace. We are invited to expand our hospitality. We now have a community meal every week which allows us to spend more time in fellowship as a Meeting. We practice love and acceptance. We are grateful.
Omaha Friends Meeting We were surprised and saddened when two longstanding members of our meeting community (one couple) stopped attending Meeting, finding that we no longer met their spiritual needs. Apparently, although we were talking about our lives after worship most weeks, we were not being attentive to each other's deepest religious experiences. This prompted us to have some discussions about our beliefs, which are not all the same. We are also trying to ask more often "How has the Lord dealt with you since we last met?", listening with purpose to the responses. We continue to enjoy worship with the three members who attend, and with occasional visitors from the local community and other yearly meetings from around the country. Our small numbers give us more opportunity to be flexible with time and get to know each visitor a little bit. Query discussions have been enriched by telephone participation of our member who lives in Montana. Participation in Yearly Meeting activities and committees have helped us feel connected to other Friends.
Paullina Friends Meeting We are continually enriched by our weekly meetings for worship with our community of members and attenders. We are thankful for our families and friends who have visited us throughout the year. Our children particularly enjoy the Sunday School program every fourth Sunday, while our monthly adult discussions led by our members or invited guests give us the opportunity to reflect how we Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 71 navigate this world as Friends. Everyone enjoys the fellowship of our potluck dinner that follows. Although our numbers are small, our meetings for worship are filled with a rejuvenating spirit. The monthly queries enable us to discuss how we as individuals and as a meeting can further our quest for a peaceful and compassionate community and world. We are thankful for our community and look forward to another joyful year with family and friends. We share our love with all. Sioux Falls Area Friends Worship Group (under the care of Paullina Friends Meeting) A few Friends meet each week in Sioux Falls and find it worthwhile in spite of our fewness - and sometimes because of it. It is a great joy when new attenders appear and when several infrequent attenders briefly swell the group, but we cannot claim success in rising numbers. We do find that a small group has a sustaining quality of its own which keeps us faithfully seeking the Spirit's presence in our meetings and in our lives; we feel that it is a kind of prospering.
Penn Valley Meeting Dear Friends; We are sometimes asked how Penn Valley Meeting got its name. In 19th century Kansas City, there was a ravine with Penn Street running through it. This street name may have come from Ella M. Wilson, a Pennsylvania Quaker who married Robert A. Long, who became one of the richest and most influential men in Kansas City. He supported an 1893 plan to develop a system of public parks in Kansas City, one of which was proposed for the Penn Street ravine. The Penn Street ravine was given the name Penn Valley, which provides a nicer image more likely to attract people to that park. In like fashion we contributors to this 2019 report have discussed how to describe some of our problems as undeveloped resources while still exhibiting Quaker Integrity or Honesty. We hope this will provide more energy to the work of building God's realm from the tumultuous state of the world. We have continued service in other ways within our community, opening our space to a local poetry group after it lost its current space of decades, and giving to a memorial for conscientious
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 72 objectors at the World War I Memorial Museum. We continue to share space with the Council of Islamic Relations - Kansas. Within our region we have continued our project of caring for the homeless within the city. We purchase and pass out gift cards to fast food establishments. This has been an enrichment in the lives of those at Penn Valley who have participated, as they have begun to foster relationships with these community members who are often neglected. We search continually for how to enrich this work, having handed out hand-knitted warm weather gear through the winter months, and searching for how to best serve as the weather heats up this summer. We also had many members able to participate in the 2019 Section Meeting of the Friends World Committee Consultation of the Americas, held nearby, both in attending and offering hospitality in the form of lodging and transportation. The meetings were a blessing and many grand relationships within the worldwide Quaker community began. Many worshipping within our meeting have felt called to serve the larger society. One Friend Cris Roesel felt called to serve at an orphanage in Uganda after hearing about dire needs from an acquaintance from his past work. We assisted with fundraising and on this trip, Chris was able to help facilitate access to clean water, assisting in making more hygienic personal care facilities and helping put in place better disease prevention methods. We have had Friends called in other ways to service as well. Chris also spent time in El Paso, having his heart stirred by the migrants searching for a better life in the United States. Another Friend, Lincoln Schulte, went on a pilgrimage through Australia, New Zealand, and several stops in East Asia, searching for Truth in the Spirit. We continue to search for how to make Penn Valley a more robust member of the community. Our First Day School program is very small and our meetinghouse has several areas which are unused and neglected. We have begun, once again, searching for what our purpose in the little house in a residential neighborhood might be. We have started work within our own community to be more open and accepting to those who worship with us, seeking to include them in our community and teach more about the rich history and practices of Friends. We seek to include others in our community, reaching out to local colleges and community Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 73 gatherings where people may be searching for a spiritual community like ours. We are beginning the process of fostering relationships with other groups through a program called “Two by Two” where we will visit other community groups to learn of their work and how we might be involved.
West Branch Meeting The road is your footsteps, nothing else. - Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis Each Sunday morning, we gather for worship and move through the familiar process of centering and worship. We have welcomed visiting Friends, a new member, and new attenders this year as we have journeyed together through this deeply personal and collective experience. The Silence in meeting is rich, and the sharing is helpful. Our query discussions arise out of meeting for worship. We appreciate the reflections that emerge as we wrestle with these questions. We attend to our spiritual growth and community building outside of meeting for worship as well. Our monthly pre-meeting Adult Education series continues to be valuable for Meeting participants. This year we have reflected on readings taken from a variety of Pendle Hill pamphlets, articles and books. Many meeting participants actively use the library to support self-directed spiritual exploration. Our Library Committee has started a monthly book group that has deepened the sense of community among those able to participate while sparking conversation about a wide variety of issues. The Library Committee has also initiated ways for our active readers to share what they're reading and learning about. On Sept. 2, 2018 our meeting joined with the Friends Church for a meaningful celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Friends Cabin. Several from our meeting were active in the workdays ahead to repair, replace, clear grounds, and clean. We got sweaty, dirty and had fun visiting — all part of the project. The Friends Cabin, built collaboratively 50 years ago by young people from both Friends meetings, continues to be a peaceful sanctuary and is truly “a place to catch one’s spiritual breath.” We appreciate the cooperation between our meeting and the Friends Church, and enjoy the opportunities we have to share time and fellowship. Our social events such as monthly potlucks, Easter pancake breakfast, pre-Christmas caroling and sharing, and our New Year’s Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 74
Eve gathering bring us together and give us additional opportunities to connect with family and friends. We continue to stay in contact with non-attending Friends both nearby and far away. We enjoy sharing the notes and updates we receive from distant members, and appreciate their continued connection with the Meeting. We continue to work for the world that Friends seek. Spirit moves generously through many conduits. Members and attenders maintain involvements with a variety of organizations, and help keep the Meeting informed of ways we can help further the work of peace, spirit and justice. Yet the glue that holds us together is the familiar journey of gathering, centering and worship, ending with the shaking of hands. This, along with the many other ways that our meeting community connects, continues to bond and enrich us.
Yahara Friends Worship Group Report to West Branch MM 07/17/19 Yahara Friends Worship Group has remained dormant for the past year. In the coming year, we will be seeking opportunities for worship outside of a conventional worship structure. This might include silent worship walks in the woods or gathering in Friends homes or at our reserved space at Plymouth UCC Church. It also might include online communications and perhaps a reunion gathering for past attenders and members. We are grateful for the Life of the Yearly Meeting and the Living Waters that we share there. Meg McCormick
Whittier Meeting Our small band continues to meet at the old meetinghouse in the former Quaker settlement of Whittier. Times have changed and the clopping of horses’ hooves has been replaced on summer mornings with the throaty roar of Harley-Davidsons and the unmuffled power of giant farm machinery starting up from the mandatory stop provided for us by the county. Despite the challenges, our worship is often deep and meaningful. Our few members who are able to attend regularly are often joined by regular attenders and guests seeking refuge, solace, and community in these difficult times. Some of us also find a connection to the Spirit in caring for our new pollinator garden by the cemetery and the many new trees Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 75 that have been planted to replace those lost to storms. Like the trees in the yard, we continue to water our little meeting knowing that the roots are strong and having faith that there will be new greenery in the future. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We close the morning session to reconvene at 2:00 p.m.
Seventh Day Saturday p.m. - 7/27/2019 Meeting for Worship moving into Meeting for Business
“We resume the business of Yearly Meeting”
Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die and there I’ll be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you. Ruth 1: 16:17
Jay Robinson and Ed Taylor have been appointed as readers this afternoon.”
We remember Friends who died this past year with fondness and love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We thank our yearly meeting recorder for his care in keeping such accurate records for us.
The Yearly Meeting Recorder’s Report prepared by Tim Shipe
Deaths Ames Johanna Canfield May 27, 2019 Bear Creek Wanda Standing Knight July 22, 2018 Lincoln Deon Simon March 25, 2019 Paullina Ardith Tjossem October 11, 2018 Penn Linda (Echo) Ray October 22, 2018 Valley West Rebecca Winder Oliver August 23, 2018 Branch Whittier Bob Williams Aug. 3, 2018
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 76
Births Iowa City Alan Joseph Manalein** July 9, 2018 (to Betsy Baertlein and Theo Manaha)
Marriages under the Care of the Meetings None
New Members by Request or by Certificate of Transfer Bear Creek Lucia Anne October 21, 2018 (by Kalinosky certificate from Oberlin Friends Monthly Meeting)
Sally Wiedenbeck December 16, 2018 (by request) Iowa City Nan Fawcett November 18, 2018 (by certificate from West Branch Monthly Meeting)
Lincoln Margaret Vrana May 19, 2019 (by request)
Penn Jon Shafer Jan. 6, 2019 (by certificate Valley from Eau Clair Friends Meeting)
Angelika Shafer Jan. 6, 2019 (by certificate from Eau Clair Friends Meeting)
West Harold page- March 10, 2019 (by request) Branch Jamison
(Recorder Report Continues)
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 77
Membership ReceivedMembership
of
Meeting Certificates In) (Transfers IN) (TRANSFERS Memberships Transferred Out Memberships Memberships Granted New Discontinued Memberships Total Membership Births Deaths
Ames 0 1 0 0 0 0 25 Bear Creek 0 1 1 0 1 0 77 Decorah 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 Des Moines Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 62* Iowa City 0 0 1 0 0 0 66 Lincoln 0 1 0 1 1 0 14 Omaha 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Paullina 0 1 0 0 0 0 68 Penn Valley 0 1 2 1 0 0 74 West Branch 0 1 0 1 1 0 90 Whittier 0 1 0 0 0 1 35
TOTALS 0 7 4 3 3 1 532 NET LOSS 6
*The Meeting cannot account for the discrepancy of two. **Attender, not included in statistical chart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We approved the report of the Yearly Meeting Representatives. We held a wide-ranging discussion regarding the proposed change to reduce the length of our annual sessions by one day, and so beginning with lunch on Fourth Day. The overall feeling was one of anticipation to see what will come with this change, with the one caution that we work to preserve the integrity of our practice of slow meetings for business.
Representatives Committee Report to IYMC 2019 Representatives Committee was made a standing committee of the Yearly Meeting at Annual Sessions in 2018. Beginning in First Month, January, and continuing through Seventh Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 78
Month, July, 2019 the Committee met monthly for about an hour by phone conference. Average attendance for these meetings was 10 people per phone call. The next meeting of the committee will be held by phone conference in Ninth Month, September. Representatives submits for Yearly Meeting consideration a proposed budget for the coming year, a proposal to shorten annual sessions, and suggested officers for the coming year.
Apportionments & Budget: Apportionments for the next year remain similar to past years with the following changes suggested: Decorah, increase of $500; Des Moines Valley, decrease of $500; Whittier, increase of $100, for a net increase in apportionments of $100. The Committee suggests a budget for the following year with two changes. The Committee notes that the William Penn House contribution will be discontinued since FCNL announced that they will purchase the House and develop new programming. The Committee recommends adding to the budget a contribution to Quaker Voluntary Service for $300. The Committee listened to budgetary concerns that were raised during annual sessions and will take these and additional suggestions into consideration as the budget is reviewed during committee meetings over the course of the coming year.
Proposal To Shorten Annual Sessions: Representatives Committee recommends that annual sessions for 2020 be held from noon on Fourth Day, Wednesday, through lunch on First Day, Sunday. The Committee asks that the Yearly Meeting approve this proposal in concept, allowing for the Representatives Committee and the clerk to decide on a final version which will go into effect in 2020.
Officers: We express gratitude for the work of the officers of the Yearly Meeting and suggest these appointments for the following year: clerk, Deborah Dakin; assistant clerk, Carol Gilbert; treasurer, Rebecca Bergus; assistant treasurer, Shirley Scritchfield; recorder, Tim Shipe.
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 79
The committee suggests that our next Yearly Meeting be held from 7/22 to 7/26, 2020 at Scattergood Friends School & Farm, near West Branch, Iowa.
On behalf of the committee, Penny Majors, clerk
BUDGET REPORT To Be Raised Funded 2019 - 2020 Through Through Budget Apportionments Reserves Contributions American Friends Service $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Committee Friends Committee on $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Nat’l Legislation Friends General $200.00 $200.00 Conference Friends World Committee for $700.00 $700.00 Consultation Iowa Peace $100.00 $100.00 Network Nebraskans for $400.00 $400.00 Peace Friends Peace $500.00 $500.00 Teams Nat’l Religious Campaign $100.00 $100.00 Against Torture Pendle Hill $500.00 $500.00 Peace and
Social Concerns $1,100.00 $1,100.00 Quaker Earthcare $300.00 $300.00 Witness Quaker United $200.00 $200.00 Nations Office
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 80
Right Sharing of World $400.00 $400.00 Resources Scattergood $54,000.00 $54,000.00 Friends School Scattergood $2,000.00 $2,000.00 Facilities Quaker Voluntary $300.00 $300.00 Service Total $62,800.00 $62,800.00 $0.00 Contributions Delegate Expenses
FCNL $1,200.00 $1,200.00 Friends Peace $600.00 $600.00 Teams
FWCC - General $1,200.00 $1,200.00 Quaker Earthcare $1,200.00 $1,200.00 Witness Conservative Yearly Meeting $1,200.00 $1,200.00 Visitation Total Delegate $5,400.00 $1,800.00 $3,600.00 Expenses Yearly Meeting Expenses Archives $200.00 $200.00 Committee Clerk's and Other Adm. $400.00 $400.00 Expenses Committee Expenses $300.00 $300.00 (Other) Conscientious Objector PSC $100.00 $100.00 Subcommittee Friends Travel & $3,000.00 $700.00 $2,300.00 Conference Iowa Yearly Meeting $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Trustees Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 81
Junior Yearly $1,500.00 $1,200.00 $300.00 Meeting Pendle Hill Scholarship $400.00 $400.00 Match Publication $3,500.00 $3,000.00 $500.00 Committee Website $450.00 $450.00 Committee Quaker Youth Camp $500.00 $500.00 Scholarship Special Needs $750.00 $600.00 $150.00 Committee Young Adult $300.00 $300.00 Friends Young Friends $1,500.00 $1,300.00 $200.00 Midyear Planning Committee if $500.00 $500.00 receipts inadequate* Clerk's Contingency $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Fund Transfer to $900.00 $900.00 Reserve Fund Total Yearly Meeting $16,300.00 $7,800.00 $8,500.00 Expenses Total Expenses $84,500.00 $72,400.00 $12,100.00
Apportionments
Ames $ 4,400.00
Bear Creek $ 5,500.00
Decorah $ 2,500.00 Des Moines $15,000.00 Valley
Iowa City $6,000.00
Lincoln $7,200.00
Omaha $3,250.00 Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 82
Paullina $8,500.00
Penn Valley $5,500.00
West Branch $ 11,250.00
Whittier $ 3,300.00 TOTAL $72,400.00
$18,095.72 Funds on Hand Funds for $12,100.00 Budget Cash Reserves $5,995.72
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We appreciate the work of our Epistle Committee with gratitude.
Epistle to Friends Everywhere 07/27/2019 *
To Friends everywhere, And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. I Corinthians 2: 1-3 (KJV) Truly I have looked into the very heart of darkness and refused to yield to its paralyzing influence, but in Spirit, I am one of those who walk the morning. What if all dark, discouraging moods of the human mind come across my way as thick as the dry leaves of autumn? Other feet have traveled that road before me, and I know the desert leads to God as surely as the green, refreshing fields, and fruitful orchards. I, too, have been profoundly humiliated and brought to realize my littleness amid the immensity of creation. Helen Keller; My Religion, 1927; Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., N.Y. Greetings from Iowa Yearly Meeting Conservative as we gather for our 142nd annual sessions held at Scattergood School and Farm, near West Branch, Iowa. We have been blessed with unseasonably cool and gentle weather during this year's annual sessions. As in past years, we have gathered for worship, tended to the business of Yearly Meeting, attended Bible studies and interest Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 83 groups, browsed (and perhaps spent more than we intended) at the Yearly Meeting book table, and received of the Spirit from those offering evening Collection. Whether sitting on the deck beneath the giant maple in front of the entrance to the school’s Main, taking long walks together on the campus grounds, or talking as we wash pots and pans, we have enjoyed the deep fellowship and Opportunities, as earlier Friends would say, “to know each other in that which is eternal.” Once again, we have felt in unity with Friends around the world (as we learned in epistles from other yearly meetings) and with Friends across the ages (as we have learned by reading materials and hearing about the lives of early Friends) in experiencing both the power of the Holy One’s Love and the challenges bestowed on us as Friends of Jesus, to live more fully into that Love. We ask, "What can we, as a small yearly meeting, as monthly meetings, or as individual Friends, do to even begin to make a difference in this hurting world?" In committee meetings, during business sessions, and through interest groups and Collection presenters, we began hearing and feeling the Spirit of God teach us via accompaniment with each other. This year the theme of annual sessions has been Accompaniment and Giving Voice. He hath shewed thee what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 (KJV) Evening Collection presenters shared how God and Spirit have accompanied them in various parts of their lives. Two former clerks of IYM(C) shared personal examples showing why they came to love the Religious Society of Friends and meeting for worship with attention to business. Each shared how their preceding clerk helped prepare them by sharing that the key to good clerking is to trust the Body. The work of the clerk is to help keep the Body centered so all have the best opportunity to recognize and hear that Still, Small Voice of God. (1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV) As we worship with attention to business and consider the business of the Meeting, the Spirit accompanies us and we also accompany each other. The former clerks provided opportunity for others to share their profound experiences during meeting for business. It was good to remember Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 84 how wonderful meeting for business can be when we remain intentional, and the clerks and body work together to discern God’s will. They concluded with a reminder that no matter how good we get at holding meetings for worship with attention to business, it will be for naught if we do not approach all we do in the Spirit of Love. When asked by an expert in the Law, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37) In the parable, it was the Samaritan who aided the injured man, not the two religious leaders who passed him by. In another Collection, we were helped to examine the challenges of learning an anti-racist approach to bridging racial divides so prevalent in our society. We recognized that we are often comfortable with the current race- relations status quo. We were reminded of a quote by James Baldwin, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” We learned that we need to develop an understanding and acceptance of our role in oppression. Working on ourselves, we might ask, “How am I colluding with oppression?” and “How are the words I choose and my personal choices furthering the oppression of other racial, economic, or ideological groups?” We were encouraged to seek, follow our calling, and participate in and/or create community actions for justice and equality. We began learning about both accompanying and giving space for others to share voice. Another Collection presenter pointed out that we are called not only to accompany and give voice to other people, but also the animals that share in our lives and planet. She shared about her life- long experience of finding spiritual connection in accompaniment, first with horses in her youth, next by learning an integrated training in healing massage for injured horses, and most recently how to accompany and give voice to those who are dying. She tenderly shared her very personal experience of being present and holding sacred space in accompanying her mother as she declined and passed. Though difficult at times, it was a tender, loving and enlightening experience, instructing her in a new appreciation of the Spirit-filled, life-death journey that we all walk. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for Thou art with me. Psalms 23: 1-4 (KJV) Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 85
Yet another Collection presenter helped us focus on being aware of Spirit in our lives both in joyous and difficult times. She courageously shared through song and stories how the Spirit has been present in her life and how that has led her to help others by studying and becoming a licensed acupuncturist. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God... Psalms 100: 1-3 (KJV) Spirit has moved among us and in us during the committee meetings and business sessions of IYMC. Of course, the reports of Scattergood Friends School and Farm Head of School, Farm manager, Yearly Meeting and Scattergood Trustees, and School Committee remain very important parts of Annual Sessions. We are gratified to learn the freshman and sophomore classes have been bigger than in the past several years. It continues to be our experience that by accompanying and giving voice in the manner of Friends practices, and in seeking to be present for staff, faculty, and students in Love, the work of the School, staff and students are our outreach to the wider world, and will continue to be for years to come, beyond what we will ever know. And finally, perhaps most precious to all of us, we found great joy in being accompanied in each of our times of worship by all members of our community from youngest to oldest. The accompaniment of our children gives us joy beyond joy; and giving them voice and the opportunity to recognize and listen to the voice of the Spirit in their hearts and recognize it in others as well, is our biggest responsibility.
In Loving Friendship and on behalf of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), Deborah Dakin, clerk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Expanded personal greeting to be sent to members of Ohio Yearly Meeting and North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative). The following greetings will be added to the respective Epistle to Friends Everywhere sent to both:
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 86 to Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative)
Dear Friends of Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative), We send you warm greetings from Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) as we have gathered at our cherished Scattergood Friends School and Farm, 07/23 through 28, 2019 for the 142nd annual sessions of our yearly meeting. We missed the presence of a visitor from Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) and feel regret that we likewise missed the opportunity to send IYM(C) members to your sessions. We look forward in good cheer, as God wills, to again invite an exchange of visitation, to enjoy the presence of Friends from your yearly meeting among us, 07/22 thru 26, 2020. to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative)
Dear Friends of North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), We send you warm greetings from Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) as we have gathered at our cherished Scattergood Friends School and Farm, 07/23 through 28/2019 for the 142nd annual sessions of our yearly meeting. We are mindful of the devastating storms and flooding you have experienced this past year and pray for your recovery. We missed the presence of a visitor from North Carolina Yearly Meeting (C) and feel regret that we likewise missed opportunity to send IYM(C) members to your sessions. We look forward in good cheer, as God wills, to again invite an exchange of visitation, to enjoy the presence of Friends from your yearly meeting among us, 07/22 through 26/2020.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are delighted to send our Special Replies letter to beloved absent Friends. We thank the committee for writing such a caring letter for us.
Special Replies Committee - Letter to Absent Friends
07/27/2019
And Jesus said, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 87 in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:36-37 You are missed! As we meet once again at Scattergood Friends School and Farm, we remember you and are sorry you were unable to be here with us this year. We have been blessed with unseasonably cool and gentle weather during this, our 142nd annual sessions of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative). As in past years, we have gathered for worship, tended to the business of yearly meeting, attended Bible studies and interest groups, browsed (and perhaps spent more than we intended) at the book table, and received of the Spirit from our evening Collections. Whether sitting on the deck beneath the giant maple in front of the entrance to the school's Main, taking long walks together on the campus grounds, or talking as we washed pots and pans, we have enjoyed deep fellowship and Opportunities to (as earlier Friends would say), "know each other in that which is eternal." Once again we have felt in unity with Friends around the world (as we listened to epistles from other yearly meetings), and with Friends across the ages (as we learned by reading and hearing about the lives of early Friends), both the power of the Holy One's Love and the challenges bestowed on us as "Friends of Jesus" to live more fully into that Love. We ask, "What can we as a small yearly meeting, monthly meetings, or as individual Friends do to begin to make a difference in this hurting world?" In committee meetings, during business sessions, through interest groups and Collection presenters, during late night singing, we began hearing and feeling the Spirit of God teach us via accompaniment with each other. The theme of Annual Sessions has been Accompaniment and Giving Voice. Third Day Evening Collection was presented by Bill Deutsch (Decorah Friends Meeting) and Deborah Fisch (Paullina Meeting, currently attending Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting), two former clerks of IYM(C). They shared personal examples of why they came to love the Religious Society of Friends and meeting for worship with attention to business. They both learned to clerk by attending annual sessions and watching previous Yearly Meeting clerks. Each told how their preceding clerk helped prepare them by sharing that the key to good clerking is to trust the Body. After all, clerks are a part of the Body. The work of the clerk is to help keep the Body Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 88 centered so to recognize and receive that "still, small voice of God" (1 Kings 19:12) As we worship with attention to business and consider the business of the meeting, the Spirit accompanies us and we also accompany each other. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ...and now, these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13) On Fourth Day Evening Collection, Shirley Scritchfield challenged us to learn anti-racist approaches to bridge the racial divides so prevalent in our society. We recognize that we are often too comfortable with the current race-relations status quo. Shirley reminded us of James Baldwin's quote, "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." Drawing on her own experience, Shirley spoke of the need to develop an understanding of our personal role in oppression. We might ask, "How am I colluding with oppression?" and "How do the words I choose and my personal choices further the oppression of others?" Shirley encouraged us to seek out and help create community actions for justice and equality. Whittier Meeting member Alice Hampton presented "Accompaniment as Holding Sacred Space" for Fifth Day evening Collection. Alice shared her lifelong experiences with spiritual accompaniment: first in her youth where she learned communication and human-animal bonding from horses, and later in doing healing massage for injured horses. More recently she holds sacred space when she practices healing touch, doing breath work and using her hands in clay to create sculptures. Alice concluded with her personal experience of being present, and holding sacred space as she accompanied her mother, Martha Hampton, during her final illness and as she passed. While difficult, it was also a tender,
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 89 loving and enlightening experience that gave her a deep appreciation for the Spirit-filled, life-death journey we all must walk. Lucy Marsh, a child of the Yearly Meeting since her youth, returned to West Branch, Iowa in 2014. As our Sixth Day Collection presenter, she also shared about Spirit's presence in her life. Lucy has felt the palpable touch of the Spirit in experiences of great joy as well as times of uncertainty. She courageously told of becoming aware of Spirit accompanying and helping her through a very dangerous time. Spirit has assisted her at other times as well, such as giving her awareness that it was time to find and move to a new place for her growing acupuncture business. Lucy interspersed her stories with beautiful songs. One was a poem by her that a friend set to music, and others arose out of the Spirit as she was led. She also taught some of the songs so we could join her in singing. Her passionate sharing helped others reflect on times in their own lives that were difficult to deal with or talk about with others. Our Ministry and Counsel Committee was present to for anyone who needed the added support after Collection. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God... Psalm 100 1-3 Friends closed out Seventh Day evening with our traditional "Talent" Show. And, while we recognize there are many talented Friends at IYM(C), we note for the sake of integrity, that Psalm 100 says, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord....we are grateful that it doesn't demand perfection! Spirit has moved among us and in us during committee meetings and business sessions of IYMC. Of course, all of the reports of Scattergood Friends School and Farm remain a very important part of annual sessions. Though the School still faces challenges ahead, we were very happy to learn that because of frugal planning by the School Committee and staff, Scattergood finished its fiscal year in a better place than expected. The freshman and sophomore classes are larger than past years, as well. We join with the clerk of the School Committee, in the saying very same words that ended her report, "We're going to love this school into another year of existence." And finally, perhaps most precious to all of us, we found great joy in accompanying each other from youngest to oldest,
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 90 during our times of worship. Accompanying our children gives us joy beyond joy. Giving them voice is our biggest responsibility. We hope you will be able to join us at our next annual sessions scheduled for Seventh Month 22 to 26th*, 2020 at Scattergood School and Farm near West Branch, Iowa. With love, and on behalf of IYMC,
Deborah Dakin, clerk
*Note the shorter sessions, and that we will begin our meetings one day later next year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Nominating Committee does important work for us. We notice the challenge of having a smaller pool of people to draw from, and it adds to our appreciation for their work.
2019 Nominating Committee Report
Archives Committee 2020 2021 2022 Lucy Hansen Daniel Treadway* Jeff Kisling Time Shipe Shel Stromquist Jeff Cox
Book Table Committee 2020 2021 2022 Sarah Andrews Megan McCormick* Jay Robinson Judy Plank
Document Committee 2020 Bear Creek
Entertainment Committee 2020 2021 2022 Ames Decorah Paullina Des Moines Valley Iowa City Omaha Penn Valley West Branch Lincoln Whittier Laughing Waters
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 91
Interim Meeting (appointed by monthly meetings) Each monthly meeting can name up to 2 members to represent them on Interim Committee 2020 2021 2022 Marge Schlitt (L) AM Fink (A) Bill Deutsch (D) Nancy Osborne Richard Johnson (B) Rachel Macnair (PV) Johnsen (B) Gordon Bivens (A) Alice Hampton (W) Catherine Dorenback (L) Andy Juhl (PL) Bob Winkleblack (I) Shirley Scritchfield (PV) Ginny Winsor (O) George Bergus (WB) Deborah Fisch (P) Cindy Winchell (DMV)
Junior Yearly Meeting (for Yearly Meeting) 2020 2021 2022 Sonja Sponheim* Deborah Fink Karen Greenler
Junior Yearly Meeting/Young Friends (Midyear) 2020 2021 2022 Mikel Johnson Carol Gilbert Cindy Winchell* Jean Sandstrom Sharon Eiker Midyear Planning Committee 2020 2021 2022 Osa Bricker Ruth Dawson AM Fink* Liz Oppenheimer Jackie Leckband
Nominating Committee (Appointed By Monthly Meetings) 2020 A.M. Fink (A) Jean Eden (L) Jackie Leckband (BC) Carol Gilbert (O) Bill Deutsch (D) Doyle Wilson (PL) Cincy Winchell (DMV) Shirley Scritchfield (PV) Carole Winkleblack (IC) Judy Cottingham (WB) Bob Yeats (W) Peace and Social Concerns 2020 2021 2022 Nancy Jordan Jim Bruener Jon Shafer Ann Stromquist Quinn Dilkes Jeff Kisling* Rachel McNair Patty Wengert Anthony Robinson Jack Holveck Bridget Durst Jane Cadwallader Howe Kathy Hall
Pendle Hill Scholarship Committee
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 92
2020 2021 2022 Jackie Leckband Martha Davis* Ann Stromquist Carole Winkleblack Religious Education Committee 2020 2021 2022 Jan Powell Bill Deutsch* Sonja Sponheim Special Needs Committee 2020 2021 2022 Bob Yeats* John Andrews Deborah Fisch Robert Winchell Sarah Rutledge
Website/Computer Committee 2020 2021 2022 Sarah Andrews Katie Jacoby John Andrews* Cheryl Sutton Marshall Massey Nat Case Young Friends Planning Committee 2020 2021 2022 Bill Deutsch* Thomas Greenler David Rhoades Chris Gauder IYM(C) Representatives to Friends Agencies AFSC Corporation 2020 2021 2022 Patric Garrison Ann Stromquist Victoria Albright Bob Yeats FCNL General Committee 2020 2021 2022 Rebecca Bergus Penny Majors Deb Fink Carole Winkleblack David Hansen Ebby Luvaga
Friends Peace Teams Council None appointed
FWCC 2020 2021 2022 Nancy Jordan Thomas Greenler Angelika Shafer
Iowa Peace Network 2020 2021 2022 Patty Wengert Bob Ramaley
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 93
Quaker Earthcare Witness Steering Committee 2020 2021 2022 Peter Clay*
Scattergood Friends School Foundation Trustees 2020 2021 2022 2023 Lowell Wilson Robert Yeats Barb Garlinghouse Lee Tesdell Daniel Treadway Larry Marsh Carole Winkleblack* Richard Johnson
Yearly Meeting Trustees 2020 2021 2022 2023 Jim Cottingham* Kathy Dice Jonathan Fisch Bill Deutsch Bob Winkleblack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Closing Minute
Accompaniment and Giving Voice was the theme for our 142nd annual sessions this year. This proved a very rich topic to center our week around as we explored how these words combined with the word, "sacred" to bring us into relationship with others and with the Divine.
We live in a time of change, anxiety and turbulence that sometimes is manifest in our own lives. But a sense of calmness graced our time together as we stopped to gather ourselves and create space to listen to each other. There was a feeling of pleasure in all of this: pleasure in the infectious joy of our Junior Yearly Meeting and the prophetic ministry offered to us from Young Friends; pleasure in working side by side, sharing meals, songs, stories, Bible study, laughter, sorrow and tears; pleasure in the challenges offered us by our Peace and Social Concerns Committee; pleasure in the challenges offered by our Representatives to stretch the way we think about our yearly meeting; and pleasure in the challenges offered us by our presenters who reminded us that "creating sacred space" is the intention to open ourselves to the Spirit. Creating Sacred Space is "being present."
The Parable of the Good Samaritan was a recurring thread throughout this week. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 94
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher, he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He answered, You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer. Do this and you will live." (Luke 10:25-28)
Do this and you will live. We enjoyed engaging our heart and soul and strength and mind.
Worshiping with our mind: We found pleasure in our collections, study and the work that so stimulates us intellectually.
Worshiping with our hearts: we found pleasure in moving beyond our intellects into the physicality of becoming grounded in our bodies.
Loving our neighbors: we found pleasure in writing and hearing from others and being here in the company of each other.
Loving God, loving neighbor as ourselves.
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29) Who is my neighbor??
Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ (Luke 10:30-35)
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 95
We, like the lawyer, ask the question "Who is my neighbor?" But Jesus flips it to ask: Which of these three do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? (Luke 10: 36) Jesus changes the question from, "Who is my neighbor?" and challenges us to ask ourselves, "How good are you at being a neighbor?"
What are you doing to: Build friendships from a more diverse group of people? Learning how to listen more deeply to those who don’t share your opinions.
Jesus tells us that being a neighbor is not a philosophical statement of belief. Being a neighbor takes action with our bodies. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hand of the robbers? He said, "the one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, "go and do likewise". (Luke 10:37 NRSV)
We now conclude our 2019 annual session, planning to meet again, God willing, at Scattergood Friends School and Farm, near West Branch, Iowa, 7th Month 22 to 26th, 2020.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REPORTS RECEIVED BUT NOT READ
Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) Report Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) continues to reflect on how Spirit leads us as Friends seeking to Befriend Creation. QEW moves forward with deep integrity after celebrating 30 years in 2017. It grounds all of us as Friends because QEW is continually witnessing to and “affirming our essential unity with nature.” Complementing the mission and witness of Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), Quaker Earthcare Witness is where all Friends can seek refreshment and encouragement to continue to create that better world where human beings understand our place within all of creation. QEW continues to work creatively and collaboratively both at the most local level and in engagement with global frameworks. Lifting up the diaspora of People of African Origin and seeking respectful ways to support this diaspora everywhere in relation to
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 96 food sovereignty, land tenure and access to safe, clean water links Friends in intersectional work. This may include supporting community gardens in Minnesota or in hosting side events at the United Nations High Level Political Forum. QEW seeks to deepen her relationships with all yearly meetings and with many monthly meetings, along with seeking connections to pastoral Friends everywhere. There is a role for each person and for each Friend to find their voice and their courage in the existential moment that we live in. QEW’s clerk spoke to my condition when she wrote in last fall’s Befriending Creation that she had chosen to live as she does not because of outcomes but because it is who she chooses to be. She also cited the Brazilian theologian Rubem Alvez, who wrote, “We must live by the love of what we will never see.” It is with deep sorrow and sadness that I submit my final report as IYMC’s representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness. As an individual, I will remain engaged with QEW and I hope to retain and embrace the friendships that I have made there. In the end, it is relationships that sustain us now and will sustain us, whatever comes.
Submitted by Peter Clay Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness
Religious Education Report We received religious education reports from four Meetings. We wonder what combination of small numbers of children in attendance, and busy-ness of Friends result in a limited response to reporting on religious education. The reports submitted did include one that offered First Day school for children. All of the Meetings that reported submitted that they made use of advice and queries to promote reflection and discussion. Several found that QuakerSpeak videos were helpful for educating and promoting thought about what it means to be Quaker. The reporting Meetings also indicated that FCNL is an important source for learning about and promoting Quaker motivated change in the world.
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 97
Exercise Committee Report How was the Spirit exercised amongst us? Not in big ways, perhaps, but in many small ways. Young Friends were concerned for some of the big issues of the world, and during sessions, found ways to address the concerns in little ways. Vocal ministry occurred during Meeting for Worship, but also in Evening Collections, in the dining room and kitchen, and in small circles and in quiet conversations. If the Spirit had a single strongest message, it probably had to do with accompaniment, a theme of the session, but also a most common experience of our sessions. On an individual level, Spirit moved us to be present to each other, in our joys, in our diminishments, with serving and listening, and in simply being together. If we were moved as a Body, it may have been in the inspiration of hearing how Friends meet and met individual and systemic injustices, and in how relying on the Divine helped to move forward. As one Friend stated “Courage may be thrust upon us”. Multiple times in the week it was overheard “Who is my neighbor”? Maybe the Spirit moved us to listen for this question and on how to act on that. Spirit moved with these messages, shared in worship time: “Don’t pretend. Be faithful.” “The sense of the body is the sense of the Spirit.” “When you’re clear, you’re useful to God.” “None of us want to do the wrong thing. Knowing that we are imperfect and expected to flounder helps us to forgive ourselves, to not wallow in shame, to admit our sins, then to move on and do the work of the Spirit. It is then that we can better accompany others in their time of need.” “If you are in a place of chaos and when you’re world is collapsing, remember that you are in good community, you’re not alone, all those who have been marginalized over the centuries--- Job, Jesus, the holocaust, the First Nations peoples, immigrants on our borders---they are in your community.” “How can we make changes in this world if we are hiding our truths.” “I was more Whole in my Brokenness than I was when I was chasing okayness.” Courage comes from the Latin word “cor”, meaning “heart” “The trinity overcomes the paradox of duality.”
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 98
“God says to Job, ‘Honey, you’re not the point.’” “God is my Tribe (when I have the eyes to see)” “It’s about relationship, and not being alone, and delighting.” “All relationship is really about the big “’R’ Relationship” “I was eating Love. Let us remember it was grown by loving hands and prepared by loving hands. Let us Eat Love.” Letter to Friends in the Midwest – Summer 2019 from Brant Rosen, Regional Director, AFSC Midwest Region Dear Friends, Warm greetings from AFSC Midwest staff and volunteers. May our time together at Yearly Meetings bolster our spirits and strengthen our resolve to put the values we share into action. Thank you, as always, for your longstanding support of AFSC. Friends gave birth to AFSC 102 years ago and remain our loyal partners. Please know how grateful we are, and please be in touch with me directly if you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions. Cornel West writes, “Hope looks at the evidence and says, ‘It doesn't look good at all. Doesn't look good at all. Gonna go beyond the evidence to create new possibilities based on visions that become contagious to allow people to engage in heroic actions always against the odds, no guarantee whatsoever.’ That's hope. I’m a prisoner of hope.” I hope the following selection of stories from AFSC’s work throughout the Midwest Region over the past year will give you some measure of hope—and encourage you in further acts of peace and justice. AFSC staff in Chicago continue to play a key role in advocating for justice and human rights for Palestinians. Recently we hosted a nationwide speaking tour of Ahmed Abu Artema, the writer who envisioned the Great March of Return in Gaza. Ahmed’s powerful stories of resistance in the face of brutal oppression motivated everyone who heard him. Other highlights include a Gaza essay contest for youth and building support for our No Way to Treat a Child Campaign. Please urge your member of Congress to support HR 2407, “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act.” We’re planning an advocacy conference around this legislation Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 99 for September. AFSC works in partnership with the Quaker Palestine Israel Network (QPIN). AFSC is building Communities Against Islamophobia (CAI) and opposing a racist program known as Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). We’ve been training teachers in Chicago on our curriculum for countering Islamophobia in the classroom, and we continue to conduct bystander intervention trainings. Our staff co-authored a widely heralded report on CVE entitled Suspected and Surveilled. Check out creatingculturalcompetencies.com and stopcve.com for more information. AFSC staff helped organize #NoCopAcademy, a dynamic campaign in Chicago led by youth of color in opposition to a $95 million police training academy. By going door-to-door in neighborhoods and showing up in large numbers at city hall, we made it loud and clear that Chicagoans want support for our youth and communities instead of further racism and oppression. We’re now working with young people to make the connections between the militarism of their communities and that of our foreign policy. Our program in Indiana has a similar focus in supporting youth of color building Communities Against Islamophobia and advocating for the human rights of children in Palestine. Supported by AFSC, the Muslim Youth Collective (MYC) hosted an exhibit entitled “Muslim Youth Aren’t Interested in Being Afraid.” After the Christchurch massacre, the MYC hosted a workshop for local mosques to develop safety protocols that do not rely upon law enforcement. For many years, the Indiana program has been supported by Friends who serve on the local advisory committee. You may have the good fortune of seeing Tom Roberts, a Friend and Midwest Executive Committee member, at your Yearly Meeting. In Michigan, AFSC’s Good Neighbor Project is connecting more co- mentors inside and outside of prison. The reciprocal relationship provides an opportunity for both free-world and incarcerated individuals to grow and learn from each other. The program works diligently to track and respond to the needs of thousands of prisoners, reduce the number of people behind bars, and change the narrative around people serving long sentences. Check out our new report, Ending Perpetual Punishment,
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 100 and stay tuned for a July convening addressing people serving life and long sentences. Supporting the organizing work of youth of color is the focus of AFSC in the Twin Cities and St. Louis. Both programs offer multi- day Freedom Schools, which deepen young people’s understanding of systems of oppression and how to confront them. Both programs host Youth Undoing Institutional Racism (YUIR) groups in which young people choose their focus for organizing. Both programs have enjoyed the support of local Friends meetings as hosts for Freedom School. In St. Paul, AFSC has partnered with public schools to pilot restorative justice projects, focusing on repairing harm to relationships instead of assigning blame and dispensing punishment between students and teachers. We’re pleased to be in close partnership with a young Friend who will be representing the program at Northern Yearly Meeting this year. In St. Louis, youth met recently with county officials and school board members to build relationships and promote policies that move toward equity and away from punishment. The young people recognize that so-called “broken” systems are working exactly as intended—a key takeaway analysis from Freedom School. In Ohio, AFSC has been engaging a core group of 15 visionary youth leaders who are excited about their collective power to challenge economic and social inequality among people of African descent in Ohio. These youth leaders have taken the first courageous action by creating the AFSC-sponsored Pan-African Youth Alliance (PAYA) that is largely composed of African Student Association leaders from colleges in western Ohio. PAYA’s mission is to empower and inspire young people of African descent to become transformational leaders who can lift up their collective voices for equal opportunities that would foster economic and social mobility in their communities. PAYA’s strategy includes building alliances with over 30 African Student Associations representing over 6,000 college students. AFSC in Iowa remains the statewide hub for organizing in support of immigrant rights. After the 2018 passage of an extreme anti-immigrant measure in the state legislature, AFSC redoubled its efforts to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity on the streets and in county jails. AFSC hosts an ICE hotline, organizes accompaniment for immigrants facing ICE check-ins, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 101 provides technical support for community raid response teams, and coordinates the Iowa Sanctuary Movement, a statewide network of congregations working to support immigrants. AFSC Iowa’s low-cost Legal Services Program continues to serve hundreds of immigrants and refugees each year, and staff travel the state to share “Immigration 101” and “Know Your Rights” workshops with allies and immigrants. We work closely with young immigrants and were pleased to support two Dreamers who took part in FCNL’s spring advocacy days in Washington, DC. All of AFSC’s work in the Midwest is closely connected with the organization’s broader efforts through networks of support in healing justice, anti-Islamophobia, youth, Palestine-Israel and immigrant rights. Sometimes our work makes headlines, but more often our long history of accompaniment is what leads to lasting change. Like Cornel West, I’m a prisoner of hope. I hope this brief tour of AFSC’s work across the Midwest has conveyed the clear message that AFSC, supported by F/friends, is creating “new possibilities based on contagious visions”—visions that will inspire us to create new ways of living together. Whether Friends are serving on staff, volunteering on a governance or advisory committee, showing up at a rally or donating monthly, you provide a crucial bedrock of energy and spirit. I encourage you to visit afsc.org/Friends to check out the many ways that you and your meeting or church can be involved. Thank you again for your support. I invite you to stay connected with AFSC’s Midwest Region by subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter, the Midwest Digest (at tinyurl.com/MidwestDigest). I encourage you to contact me directly at 312-427-2533 or [email protected]. Please connect with me on Twitter@RabbiBrant and on Facebook.
Shalom, Salaam and Peace, Brant Rosen Regional Director, AFSC Midwest Region
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Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 102
The following guidelines did not arise from the Yearly Meeting sessions but are printed here for reference.
Guidelines for Request for Reimbursement from Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) The Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) treasurer makes all reimbursements for budgeted funds. Clerks of yearly meeting committees that have approved budgets should submit bills for payment and/or requests for reimbursement directly to the Yearly Meeting treasurer. Receipts should be included when requesting reimbursements. Clerks are also responsible for giving names, addresses, and clear instructions regarding to whom the check is to be written and where it is to be sent. For example, the clerk of the Publication Committee can send the bill for printing of the Yearly Meeting minutes directly to the yearly meeting treasurer. Members of committees with expenses that are reimbursable by the Yearly Meeting are asked to submit their receipts to the clerk of their committee who will then forward them to the yearly meeting treasurer. For example, someone from the Junior Yearly Meeting Committee may purchase supplies for the Junior Yearly Meeting. They should submit the receipt for those supplies to the Junior Yearly Meeting Committee clerk who will then forward them as approved to the yearly meeting treasurer. Members of the Yearly Meeting who are official representatives to a wider Quaker organization on behalf of the yearly meeting, such as AFSC, FWCC, or FCNL, can submit travel expenses with receipts and/or documentation directly to the yearly meeting treasurer. Funds are disbursed on a first-come basis. Representatives are asked to visit with their co-representatives to get an idea of who expects to be traveling and what kind of assistance they might need from the travel funds. Traditionally, these funds are underused, and we urge Friends to seek reimbursement if needed. Friends seeking to use unassigned budgeted funds, such as the scholarship money available for Quaker Youth Camp, are asked to submit requests to the Yearly Meeting clerk for approval before April 1, 2020. After April 1, those seeking assistance will be informed of the amount available. Those seeking assistance for the first time
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 103 will be given priority so that as many young people as possible have the opportunity to attend a Quaker camp. If no requests are received by April 1, the clerk will approve requests on a first-ask basis. Unbudgeted requests: All requests for financial assistance not in the fiscal year budget should be submitted to the yearly meeting clerk, who will consult with the Interim Committee clerk if action must be taken before the next annual sessions. If there is an urgent request, the Interim Committee, which conducts the business of the Yearly Meeting between sessions, may be called to meet.
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 104
Directory of Monthly Meetings, Preparative Meetings, Worship Groups, and Scattergood Friends School and Farm
Ames Monthly Meeting Worship: 10:30 a.m. First Day Business Meeting: 11:15 Fourth First Day monthly Query consideration or discussion: 11:15 First Day monthly Potluck: 11:30 Third First Day monthly Location: 121 S. Maple, Ames, Iowa Clerk: Steven Cannon, 1253 Orchard, Ames, Iowa 50010, (515) 233-1904 Meeting phone: (515) 232-4610 Email: [email protected] Website: http://amesfriendsmeeting.wordpress.com
Bear Creek Monthly Meeting (Schedule may vary occasionally – check email or phone number below.) Pre-meeting: 10 a.m. First Day Worship: 11 a.m. First Day Business: 10 a.m. 3rd First Day, with potluck lunch following worship Location: 18058 Bear Creek Road, rural Earlham. From I-80 Earlham exit #104, 1 mile N on “I” Ave. to Bear Creek Rd, then E. to 2nd driveway. Mail: c/o 19186 Bear Creek Road, Earlham, Iowa 50072 Clerk: Jackie Leckband, (515) 758-2232 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.bearcreekfriends.org
Decorah Monthly Meeting Pre-Meeting: 9:30 a.m. First Day, except in summer Worship: 10:30 a.m. (9: 30 a.m. in summer) First Day Business: Scheduled every six weeks Location: 603 E. Water Street, Decorah, Iowa Clerk: Bill Deutsch, (563) 382-3699 Email address: [email protected]
Des Moines Valley Monthly Meeting Worship: 10 a.m. First Day Business: 11:30 a.m. 2nd First Day Location: 4211 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, (515) 274-4717 Co-clerks: Ann Robinson and Jean Sandstrom Email: [email protected] Website: www.dsmvf.org
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 145
Iowa City Monthly Meeting Worship: 10 a.m. First Day Business: 2nd First Day following worship Location: 311 N. Linn Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52245; Clerks: Bob Winkleblack, (319) 648-5047, [email protected] Quinn Dilkes, (319) 530-1756, [email protected]
Laughing Waters Friends Preparative Meeting under the care of Bear Creek Meeting Worship and locations: 1:30 PM. Second First Day of the month at Ian Rhoades and Elizabeth O’Sullivan’s farm in Dundas, MN. Fourth First Day of the month at St James on the Parkway Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, until June 2020, when we will be in a new home. See our website for details and updates. Potluck and query consideration: Third First Day of the month, at members’ homes. Business: Three times a year or as called by clerks team, on a First Day that is not second or fourth of the month. Website: http://www.laughingwatersfriends.org Email: [email protected] Clerk: Nat Case, (612) 702-1333, [email protected]
Lincoln Monthly Meeting Worship: 10 a.m. First Day Potluck: after worship and sharing on first First Day Meeting for Business: following worship on third First Day Location: 3319 S. 46th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, (402) 488-4178 Clerk: Jean Eden, 5905 Wolff Lane, Lincoln, NE 68521, (402) 476-4948 Email: [email protected]
Omaha Monthly Meeting Worship: 10:00 a.m. First Day Business (and/or other meetings and discussions): 11:00 a.m. First Day Location: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 925 S. 84th, the Blue Room Clerk: Bob Ramaley, 1517 Happy Hollow Blvd., Omaha, NE 68104. (402) 926-6583 (cell), (402) 553-3220 (h) Email: [email protected]
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 146
Paullina Monthly Meeting Worship: 10:00 a.m. First Day Business: 11 a.m. 2nd First Day 4th First Day: 10 a.m. Meeting for Worship, 11 a.m. Youth Sunday School and Adult Discussion, 12 p.m. potluck dinner. Location: on U.S. 59, 3 miles east and 1.25 miles north of Paullina, or 5.5 miles south of Primghar, Iowa Clerk: Doyle Wilson, 5550 400th Street, Primghar, Iowa 51245, (712) 757-3875 Assistant Clerk: Dan Mott Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/paullinafriendsmeeting Website: http://paullinafriendsmeeting.wordpress.com/
Penn Valley Monthly Meeting Worship: 10 a.m. First Day, followd by fellowship Business: 1st First Day, 11:30 a.m. Location: 4405 Gillham Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, (816) 931- 5256, fax (AFSC office) (816) 561-5033 Website: http://www.kcquakers.org Contact: Rachel MacNair, (816) 753-2057. Email: [email protected]
Sioux Falls Area Worship Group Under the care of Paullina Monthly Meeting Worship: 10:30 a.m. First Day (Small group, wise to call beforehand) Location: Dow Rummel Village Conference Room, 1321 West Dow Rummel, Sioux Falls, across West Ave from the stadium Contact: Anna Gieschen, 1101 South West Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, (605) 376-8863 Email: [email protected]
West Branch Monthly Meeting Worship: 10 a.m. First Day Business: 2nd First Day following worship Pre-meeting: 9:00 a.m. 3rd First Day Location: 317 N. 6th Street, West Branch, Iowa Mail: P.O. Box 582, West Branch, Iowa 52358 Clerk: James Cottingham, (319) 643-5949 Email: [email protected]
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2019 Minute Book Page 147
Whittier Monthly Meeting Worship: 10:30 a.m. First Day Business: every two months at call of Clerk Location: 3200 Whittier Road, Springville, Iowa 52336, 3 miles east of Highway 13 on County Home Road Contacts: Kathy Hall, East Post Court SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403, (319) 393-2508; Bob Yeats, 206 2nd Av. NW, Mt Vernon, IA 52314, 319 210- 2215 or 319 895-8133 Email: [email protected]
Yahara Friends Worship Group Under the care of West Branch Monthly Meeting Location: Madison, WI area Contact: Anne McCormick, [email protected]
Scattergood Friends School and Farm Worship: Thursdays 1:45 p.m. while school is in session Location: 1951 Delta Ave., West Branch, IA 52358 Phone: (319) 643-7600 Head of School: Thomas Weber [email protected] Website: www.scattergood.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/scattergoodfriendsschool
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